The Princess and the Fraud
by Conejo-sama
Summary: Tiana and Naveen's daughter Evangeline encounters something unusual on her 18th birthday: a talking frog who claims to be a prince. Now the fate of her family's restaurant is in jeopardy because of this mucus-coated con artist. Rated for language
1. The Beginning

This is my first "_**The Princess and the Frog**_" story! Enjoy!

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**~Our Story Begins…~**

Two stars.

That is the beginning of this story.

Two of the brightest stars in the sky shone above the mysteriously wonderful city of New Orleans. Like a spotlight in the sky, the only thing seen in the night was a certain apartment building. Inside, a woman was telling her daughter a bedtime story.

"… and then the prince begged the beautiful princess 'Oh please princess! Just one kiss will break the spell.'" she said, her daughter's eyes wide with anticipation. Though she heard this story many times before, she was always excited about the ending. "The princess kissed the frog prince, and he turned into a handsome prince. And they lived happily ever after. The end." She closed the book. "Okay, bedtime, baby cakes."

"Aw, one more story, please? Daddy…?" She turned to her father, who was listening to the story on the other side of the room, for support.

"Sorry, Princess. You heard your mother. Bed." He charged over to the other side of the room and scooped his daughter up in his arms. He put his daughter into bed and tugged her in. He kissed her chastely on her cheek and said, "Goodnight, Evangeline."

"Night, Daddy."

"Goodnight, baby cakes." Her mother pulled the covers over her daughter a little more and kissed her goodnight. "See ya in the morning." she softly whispered. Both parents left the room quietly, hand-in-hand.

"So," her husband wrapped his arms around his wife. "when do you think we should tell her the _real_ story?"

"You mean _our_ story?" He laughed. "I don't know? Do you think she'll believe us?"

"She has faith in us as her loving parents, no? I think anytime would be good, now. Once she's older, she won't believe anything that seems so childish and silly."

"True." She kissed her husband. "Now, it's about time we go to bed, too."

When she pulled away from her husband, he whined. "Aw! I don't get anymore?"

She patted his shoulder. "Maybe later."

Meanwhile, in Evangeline's room, a shadow loomed over the snoozing little girl. Its eyes were glowing with hunger and his claws urged to try to grab at her throat. As they reached for it, she began to stir and the shadow retracted at the last minute, leaving to return to its master.

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This is my first Disney story, so I hope some of those Disney fans or "**The Princess and the Frog**" fans like it!

_**R&R!**_


	2. The Princess

**~The Princess~**

Morning snuck up on the whimsical city of New Orleans. The sunlight lit on the nifty apartment next to the most popular restaurant in the local community and beyond: Tiana's Palace. The morning sun's rays shined through a slightly opened window, kissing the skin of a sleeping beauty. Once the sunlight leaked up to her eyes, her sleeping spell was broken.

Her eyes blinked, trying to fixate themselves to the morning light. With a short yawn, she stretched her muscles in a cat-like manner and rubbed her eyes to help her stay awake. It was another usual unrushed morning for the young maiden. She felt so adjusted to her morning routine, that peace of mind almost devastated her awaken state, until she glanced at the time on her nearby alarm clock.

"Oh my god!" She snatched the clock from on top of her dresser to get a closer look to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. "I'm late! I'm late!" Carelessly dropping the clock on the floor, she quickly got dressed in the set of clothes that were already set out for her the other night.

"I'm late! I'm la-"

"_SURPRISE!_"

She was so surprised by the unanticipated outburst that she screamed and put a hand on her chest. She turned to see her family and their gator friend, Louis, in the kitchen. "Geeze, you guys shouldn't be scaring a girl as old as me, nowadays. At this age, I'm delicate."

"You're not allowed to say that until you're as old as me, honey." Tiana walked up to her and gave her a hug. "Happy Birthday, baby cakes."

"Thank you, Mama." Her father, Naveen, walked up to them. "Daddy." She hugged her father. Something took hold of her leg. "You too, Ray Ray." She picked up her little brother.

"Happy Birthday!" the little boy told her. She smiled down at her brother. She went over to the table, put down her little brother, and hugged her grandmother and Louis.

"My grandbaby is _eighteen_! I never thought I would live to see this day! How do you feel?"

"No better than I did yesterday." She laughed. At the table, there was a cake with green borders and written with icing in cursive it said, "Happy Birthday Evangeline." There was a frog sitting next to the words. She laughed again. Her mother knew how much she loved frogs. The candles were shaped like a 1 and an 8.

"Make a wish, sweetheart," her mother said. Evangeline closed her eyes to make a quick wish, and then blew out the candles. Everyone clapped.

"Okay, let's go before the customers show up," Tiana said, taking her son's hand. Evangeline followed her mother's edict and went to grab her apron until Tiana grabbed her arm. "No, no, no. You aren't going to work today, birthday girl. There's a reason why I turned off your alarm."

"But I want to work today!" Evangeline whined.

"Not in that outfit, you're not."

The former teen looked at her clothes. She was in such a rush to get to _Tiana's Palace_; she didn't pay attention to what she had put on. It was new, that's for sure, probably a present from Mom. It was a beautiful mint green sundress that was just above the knees. Her shoes were also green with heels. She couldn't believe she didn't notice it before. "I'll go back upstairs and change."

"Nope."

"But Mama...!"

"No buts! Go out and have fun!"

Evangeline heaved a defeated sigh. "Alright. I appreciate you giving me a break today, Mama." She gave her mother another hug and thanked her again. As soon as she opened the door, she was bombarded by two squealing, blonde blurs.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVA!"

Evangeline struggled to get away from the two blondes crushing her bones. "Auntie Lottie? Lydia? What are you guys doing here?"

"You think I would miss my godbaby's birthday?" Charlotte La Bouff asked her goddaughter. "Besides, I'm staying to help setup for the ball tonight. Now you and Lydia go out and have some fun!"

"Ooh! We're gonna have so much fun, Eva!" Lydia grabbed her friend. "We're gonna do some shopping, just for you! Maybe one or two things for me..."

As the young heiress continued to jabber, Naveen shouted one last thing to the two girls before they were out the door. "Don't forget to return to the restaurant at 8:00."

"Got it!"

The door slammed as soon as they left.

Streaming through the streets of New Orleans was always fun. There were many surprises at every turn and there was nothing that couldn't entertain you. Even those who lived there were never unsatisfied. Living through the jazzy environment her whole life, Evangeline's visits to the city were always like a routine. She knew almost everyone around the block. Being the daughter of the owners of the most famous restaurant in the city was not something anyone would miss. Also being a cohort of the granddaughter of the wealthiest share holders in New Orleans brought about more than popularity.

Evangeline greeted the fellow citizens she recognized as she walked the streets of New Orleans with Lydia La Bouff.

"So, eighteen! Isn't it great?" Lydia cried out.

Evangeline rolled her eyes. It was so like Lydia to be this way. She was just like her mother: blonde, energetic, and obsessive with small things. But she loved her like a sister.

"I feel like I have a little more freedom. But I don't see what's so special about..."

The blonde _tisk_ed. "This is your problem."

The brunette blinked. "What problem?"

"You never take advantage of the greater things in life. You're the first girl in our class to turn 16, you're the first to get your license, and now you're the first one to become an official adult, and you're acting as modest as a bashful bee with a hive full of honey!"

She couldn't believe she was getting an ear full from the girl who bought a new car every time her family's stocks went up. "Hey, that's not true! Truth is I'm really excited that I'm eighteen. But, there're some things on my mind."

"Like what? Getting your boy?"

"Something along those lines, yes. But I was thinking-"

"Let's start with gettin' you some man candy, honey!"

_I should have just kept my mouth shut._

"Here's your opportunity. Look who's coming this way." Evangeline looked to where her friend was pointing. Walking in their direction were three boys about their age. The leading boy was one of the most attractive boys at their high school, Thomas Satchell. Like all the other girls, Evangeline and Lydia had crushes on the caramel-headed boy and whenever they were around him and his friends, their legs felt like jelly and their hearts would pulsating at their maximum rate, but they would never show it. Now he was walking towards them, oblivious. "What are you waiting for?"

"You're not dragging me into this. You like him too, so why don't you go up to him?"

"'Cause out of the both of us, you know, and I know, that you have a better chance with that hunk."

"How? You're rich and beautiful. Those are just the two words you need to get a guy's attention."

"If I said I was rich and he took a chance, it would be too obvious that he just wants me for his money. Besides, you're beautiful, you're smart, you have a sexy accent, _and_ you're family owns the greatest shindig in New Orleans!" Evangeline couldn't deny the flattery. She wasn't as shy as her appeared to be. She was very outgoing just like her father and couldn't miss a beat. In fact, she inherited most of her talents from her father: her singing, her dancing, all of her musical talents. She could even play the piano to accompany his ukulele. Even her looks resembled his the most. With her chocolate hair and brown-tan skin, it was quite obvious she had some Maldonian blood in her. She also inherited her culinary skills from her mother. Her eyes were dark brown just like her mother's and they were very observant. There wasn't anything she couldn't cook in the kitchen. Why wouldn't she make a good catch for Thomas Satchell, the most charming, athletic guy on the block?

"Maybe..."

"Hey, Eva," She froze. They were just talking about him, and now he was right there behind her, his chilling breath gliding down her neck. "How's it goin'?"

"Ah..." She turned to face him, but that was a mistake. His face was so close to hers, his minty breath was bouncing off her face. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. "G-Good. Everything's great." She laughed.

"I heard today's your birthday. Turning eighteen. I'm glad I'm not alone."

She forgot he turned eighteen in January. "Uh-huh. I'm having a ball at my family's restaurant."

"Mind if me and my pals come?"

"Sure."

"See y'all there then, and save me a dance." He left with his friends in a suave manner.

"You did it, Eva!" Lydia cried. "You got Thomas and his boys to go the ball!"

"I didn't really do anything."

"There's that modesty again! Now come on! We're going to find you a dress that will knock his socks off!" Lydia pulled her arm to follow her to her mansion.

"Hold up, Lydia! Don't tear my arm off!" She finally pried her rambunctious friend off of her. She suddenly stopped following her friend when she felt something uncomfortable. She turned to see if anyone was behind her, but no one was there, not even her shadow.

"Eva, what are you doin'? Come on!"

"Sorry, I just felt a chill."

She continued to follow her friend, pushing the uncomfortable feeling to the back of her head.


	3. The Fraud

**~The Fraud~**

As said before, there was always entertainment in the streets of New Orleans. Nobody was bored, but, sometimes, they were displeased. Some people have many of attempts of making money, and one of this is entertainment. The other is something that can change a simple game into a sin.

Hustling the poor saps on the streets was a new hobby to some citizens, especially when some of those people were tourists. Tourists were the biggest suckers. But it was not only the people you needed to pay attention to, but the art- the skill- of hustling was very important. Take it from the expert known to many:

Virgil "Richie" Manroe. He was commonly known for his nickname. Hustling the innocent and unaware was a hobby of his, and something he was very good at, but wasting his money was his fatality. He was the best on the streets. But if anybody knew him, they would know how much of a cheater he was. His whole life was full of deceit and trouble, and that was why most folks kept their distance. It was too bad no one bothered to inform the tourists. But today was different.

Today he decided to play the guessing game, but "business" was unusually slow for Virgil. No one went to his table at the side of the street; with no customers, he was bored out of his mind. All day, he would shuffle his deck of cards constantly until the cards felt torn and ruffled. His hopes slowly rose when a young couple began walking up to his table, but rapidly fell when their sights went to another attraction.

"Damn, don't these folks know a good deal when they see it?"

"Maybe they know a big rip-off when they see it," someone said from behind.

"What do you want, Reese?"

"Seeing how 'business' is going," he snickered. Virgil scowled.

With Virgil's bad rep, he had few friends. No, one friend. And that one friend was Maurice Richmond. The two had been together for as long as they could remember. Of course, only the best of buddies were total opposites. Maurice tried to stay on peoples good sides, while Virgil just had to get into trouble, and he didn't care whose side he was on. Maurice was good with the ladies, while Virgil... well, you get the point. Though they had their differences, they were like brothers.

But even though they were like brothers, Virgil was much older, so he suffered a lot more than Maurice. With both of his parents gone, he had to endure many things by himself. Maurice's mother offered to take him in, but he refused because pride got in the way. Maurice was always watching out for him because of his criminal rep, but Virgil would avoid him.

"Go away, unless you're gonna play."

"Nah, I'm not gonna have a brotha' play me like that."

"*tch* Whatever."

"Aren't you getting tired of this? Not all tourists are as dumb as you think they are."

"Just testing my skills."

"What skills?"

"… Shut up. Are you going to pay up or not?"

"What do you think?" Virgil grunted. "Don't be so sour, Virg. There's another reason why I came here. Tommy and the gang were invited to the ball at Tiana's place. I was wondering if you would want to come."

"Does it look like I'm the kind of man who has time for that kind of stuff? I'm a businessman." Maurice failed to remind him that he had no business. "Besides I'm not cut out for that kind of thing. If I'm going to a shindig, I need a woman and a suit. I ain't

got no suit and I ain't got no woman, so I ain't going to no ball." And Virgil never denied that fact.

From the sidelines, Virgil always watched couples dressed to the occasion, and the occasion was usually a party of sorts. There was no person who was there dressed in whatever they slept in or were they alone. Following that motto all his life, he had never been a party before.

"That's not true. I don't have anyone to take."

"Maurice, you're a ladies' man. There's gonna be a bunch of dolls crawling at your feet once you enter the room," Virgil said with vile. He wouldn't admit it, but he was jealous of Maurice. He was never good with the ladies and he'd always wanted to meet that special someone, but he would never tell anyone for as long as he lived. He'd rather kiss a frog.

"Come on, Virg-"

"This looks interesting," an unfamiliar voice interrupted their conversation. "A guessing game, huh?" They both looked up to see a ravishing-looking woman. Her face was covered in light dabs of make-up radiating off her face. Her hair was nicely curled under a violet sun hat, which was unusual because of the cool weather. She was wearing a purple "flirty" convertible dress (flirty because the way it swaggered when she moved her hips turned both of Virgil on), with high heels about 3 inches high and a fluffy purple scarf to match. She looked so innocent, but at the same time, hard to get. This was going to be fun. "Mind if I play?"

"You bet, ma'am." He started shuffling the cards. He watched the beautiful woman as he manipulated his cards. Something about this woman made him feel uncomfortable, but he shook off that feeling.

"Now, how does this game work?" she asked in a soft, sexy manner.

"Just find the Queen of Hearts. If you find her, I'll give you two bucks."

"Two measly dollars isn't much of a game."

"Okay, mind changing the bet?"

"How about... ten dollars?"

"Ten greenbacks! Alright then, but I have to warn you that I'm a beginner, so you won't have to worry about losing any money," he lied. His first step always worked.

She guffawed. Maurice was not convinced. "Virg, you shouldn't swindle a woman like her with that kind of money."

"Aw, get off my back, Reese. I know what I'm doing. If you don't want to watch, go get ready for that damn ball."

"Fine. See ya later, Virg."

Virgil ignored him. Once he placed the three plaid cards on the table, he slowly switched them around, giving her a chance to guess the right card. "Guess which one," he said to the woman.

She picked the second one. "This game's too easy. How about we raise our bet."

"You got it, ma'am." She put down another ten. He switched a little faster but steadily so she wouldn't notice. She found the Queen again. That was the pattern three times around.

"Let's make this last round interesting." She put a hundred dollar bill on the table. Richie's eye almost popped out of their sockets. No one was ever this courageous before. He wasn't going to lose this game.

"Alright, then. Cross your fingers." Virgil worked his magic. He started shuffling the cards so fast that the woman was having a hard time keeping track of the Queen of Hearts. When it came to going in for the kill, swindling was his specialty. When he was done, he sat back to watch his victory.

"What the-"

"I thought this would be easy for you, ma'am.

She scowled at him. Then she fidgeted a bit before picking a card.

It was the Jack of Spades.

"Oh, tough luck, ma'am. I guess I'm the victor, today." Virgil reached to grab his cash prize, and ran.

He ran through a nearby alleyway. When he didn't hear any footsteps running after him, he stopped to count how much he made.

"Played her for a sucker. Ha! I got over 100 bucks here! That was too easy... _way_ too easy." He looked back where he left the swindled woman. It didn't seem like she made any attempt to stop him. She didn't even yell at him. Usually, whenever he hustled someone, they would call the police. But there was no one coming to chase him. "Maybe people are finally learning-"

He heard clanking footsteps coming from the front of him, and a mysterious figure suddenly appeared. "Hey, who're-?"

"You've made a terrible mistake, _boy_." The figure walked closer until it apprehensible.

"Y-You're that woman-" Before he knew it, something blew into his face, blinding him. He felt a strange flowing through his body. He felt something pulling him, a painful feeling he wanted to stop. Before he knew it, he was unconscious.

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"Ugh... ow! What the hell...!" A slight bump on the head was a very uncomfortable wake up call for Virgil Manroe. He didn't know what he hit his head on, but he did know it wasn't his bed. It at least had a mattress. But this-whatever it was-felt like metal.

Hard, cold metal. It wasn't until he looked up when he realized it _was_ metal. A metal bar, to be more specific.

_Where the hell am I?_

Virgil's head was spinning, so it was hard for him to figure out where he was.

He grabbed the bars for support, and then he suddenly redrew his hands. His hands were green. _Green!_ His fingers had big cue tips at the ends. His legs were irregularly leg and his feet were webbed. His body was extremely slimy; no mucous. "What the hell did that witch do to me?"


	4. The Witches

Okay, there was some confusion in the beginning, but there was still something in the beginning. The prologue was when Evangeline was a little girl, and the shadow... that will be later explained in this chapter.

Now, enjoy!

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**~The Witches~**

A young, antsy woman ran through the streets of New Orleans. She was just like most women:

Inoccent, naïve, and very compulsive. This young woman's eyes moved in every angle, glancing at the wonders before her. The gift shops and tiny bistros in this town were very distracting. Her hyper instinct and spontaneous attitude was very ignorant to others because it was very common in the this society, for there were always other women around her who acted the same way, so that left her out of the suspicion. Of course, when other women acted like that, they were either tourists who were intrigued by everything they saw, or because of the men.

The very built men of New Orleans.

She was one of those women who looked like they would make perfect suitors for those men, whether it be for one night or the rest of their lives. A woman whose looks deceived her actual age, but no one bothered to care about that. The men were still begging for her body. But she was a very different woman...

Before she even dared to enter the streets, she pulled at the hem of her dress to show more of her cleavage and adjusted her sunhat. The beads in her hair jingled when they clanked together. She pulled out a mirror from her purse and smiled at herself. She was now a presentable lure.

She stood in front of a store window. Window shopping was always fun. It was a new store, she could tell. There were many trinkets in the store window that she couldn't recognize. New products or imported goods? She couldn't tell. The city was losing its valued culture real fast. Someone else suddenly joined her. She sideglanced to see it was a man, probably in his mid-twenties. His eyes also averted to her and she quickly turned hers back to the window. When she looked again, it seemed like he was closer to her. He even stretched out his arms. It was a sign; he was going to make a move on her.

"Hey there, little lady." He finally came up to her, using his arm to lean against the wall so she had no escape but to the left. "I saw you standing there and I couldn't help but notice how a gorgeous, little thing like you isn't hanging out with a guy like myself."

"Didn't notice it either." she said, not moving her eyes from the glass window.

"You look kinda hot. How 'bout I buy you a drink."

"That sounds good-sweet Jesus!" She saw a clock on the inside of the shop. "I'm sorry, but I'm late for somethin'!" She ran off before he could call after her.

_Sis is going to kill me, then add my head to my collection!_

She ran as fast as she could through an alleyway until she was in front of a mossy door. Torn drapes fell over the frame and the sign on the top was scratched off. This was her home-_their_ new home. Hopefully, she wasn't too late. She rummage through her purse to find her key and unlocked the door. As soon as she entered, she expected to be welcomed by a scold, along with a gang of voodoo masks, dolls and other little mystical trinkets. Things seemed fine and trinkets were the only things there to welcome her, so she entered without hesitation and gently closed the door.

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"AH!" The young woman flinched. Another woman a few years older appeared in front of her. "I'm sorry, Sis. I-I was just out..."

The older woman sighed. "Don't tell me, your 'collection'?" The younger woman hesitated. She sighed before she walked away. Her younger sister followed quickly behind. "Tell me, Aurorette, what is our job?"

"To collect more souls."

"Correct." She manipulated with one of the voodoo dolls in on a nearby table. "And why are we collecting souls?"

"Because Nicolas left behind a huge debt." Aurorette answered her sister blandly.

"Also correct." This time, she hissed. Her grip on the doll was getting tighter and tighter. "And why do we have to pay this debt?"

"Because we're family. And as a family, this debt belongs to all of us, (apparently)."

Her elder sister didn't let her corrosive answer go unnoticed. "I would appreciate receiving the answer without the sarcasm, Aurorette." she spat out.

"We're paying his debt to get our powers back."

"EXACTLY!" She throw the ragged doll on the ground and it burst into dust, turning into a 3-demonsional map of New Orleans. "And you fooling around the town with those _pigs_ is not benefitting to our problem!"

"Hey, getting men to go out with me _is_ a benefit, Selene! After all, when I give them the souls, I get to keep the bodies and add the heads to my collection." She pulled out a keychain which had several dangling, severed heads. "And you always say dating was a waste of time."

Selene scoffed. "No matter, those extra souls are no longer needed. Thanks to our hard work, we've collected enough souls to pay the debt Nicolas left behind." She swore under her breath. "Now, the only thing we need to do is bring Nicolas back."

"Why do we have to bring him back? If we have enough souls to pay for the debt, Nicolas is no use to us!"

"Actually, he will be _very_ useful to us." Selene walked around the 3D map of the town. "You know our brother's rambles of ruling this city of its riches, right?"

"It's not hard to remember. He wouldn't shut his trap!"

"Well, since his plans didn't work, he's been awfully bitter. And you know what happens to a bitters souls on the _Otherside_, don't you, Aurorette?" There was a very long pause before Selene answered for her sister. "They eventually turn into demons. The intensity of his emotions, hate overall, gives him unearthly power. We will be allowed to summon that _wretched fool_, and he will have no choice but to do our biding!"

"Excellent idea, Sis!" Aurorette praised her sister. "But, how exactly are we gonna do that?"

"I've recovered this book of cryptic spells," Selene held up the ancient hardcover. "that can help us in the long run. But I haven't found the right spell, yet."

"Well, while you're doing that, Imma go back to-hey!" Aurorette walked up to a peculiar cage hanging from the side of the room. It was slightly above her height, making it hard for her to see what was inside the cage. She jumped a bit, but she only got a short glimpse. She snapped her fingers and a shadow appeared. It lowered the cage for her. "What the hell-is this a frog?"

Her sister looked up from the book momentarily to see what her sister was talking about. "Oh, yes, that is a frog."

"Okay... where'd you get 'em?"

"He was just a sad sap trying to play me for a sucker. I thought it would be fun to jerk him around a bit."

"So, you turned him into a frog? What use is that?" Her sister was silent. "Sis?"

"It's _genius_!" Selene slammed the book and ran back to the 3D map in the middle of the voodoo imporium. "A soul for a soul! The perfect revenge and the perfect opportunity to rule this city!"

"Brilliant, Sis!" Aurorette praised her sister once again. "But, what are we going to do with the frog?"

"Hm..." Selence walked up to the cage. The said frog was still unconscious, but she jiggled the cage to make sure. "He might be a use to us after all."

"How?"

"You'll see." She turned blew it until there was something in the centerpoint. "Ever heard of a place called _Tiana's Palace_?"

"Yes, it's the most popular joint out here. My last date was there, why?"

"There's going to be a ball, and we're going..."

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Sorry for the title's weird alignment. It wouldn't stay in the middle for some reason.

**_R&R!_**


	5. The Ball

**~The Ball~**

**6:45 PM**

Night would be approaching soon, and everyone had something to do.

At the La Bouff Mansion, Lydia was busy helping her friend get ready for her birthday ball. It was very hard, especially since Evangeline was being so indecisive. Everything she put out, her older friend denied. Of course, Evangeline had a reason for denying her friend's flimsy dresses.

"Lydia, I can't wear any of these." she said.

"Why not? They're absolutely man-catching! Like this one!" Lydia walked up to one of the most puffy dresses she had. "It was imported from France, so I think you might love it!"

Evangeline looked at the dress in disgust. She had never seen so many feathers in her life. "I don't think so." She sighed and sat on her friend's bed. "These dresses are just too froufrou for me, Lydia; I really appreciate your help. I think I'll just wear what I planned for the ball."

"Wait! I've been saving the best for last! Stay here!" Lydia ran to the back of her closet. Evangeline cringed in fear. Each dress she showed so far was puffier than the last. She feared to see what else her friend had to offer. "Have a look at this!"

When Evangeline looked up, she gasped. "Oh my… Lydia… it's… it's too _beautiful_."

Lydia smirked. "I'd knew you'd like it! Your grandmamma made this especially for you. Told ya I'd save the best for last!"

"Thank so much!" Evangeline hugged her friend.

"Thank you grandmamma. Now, it's my turn to find an outfit to wear!"

She stopped her hugging. Knowing Lydia, it would take even longer to choose something to wear. "Oh geez…"

* * *

**7:30**

Tonight, the renowned restaurant _Tiana's Palace_ was busy preparing for their VIP of the night. The staff arranged the table and gave the restaurant a new decor for the night. Tiana was running everyone ragged to make things perfect; nobody had felt this busy as long as they had worked there.

"Come on, people! More those tables!" Tiana shouted. Naveen and Raymond quivered in fear. She was at her scariest.

"Tiana, honey, calm down." Naveen put his hands on her shoulders.

"What are you doing standing around, Naveen? Ccome on! We need to get ready!" Naveen took back his hands and winced.

"Babycakes, calm down. You're scaring little Raymond." her mother said.

She sighed. "I'm sorry. I just want to make this might really special for Evangeline. She's becoming a woman."

"We know," Naveen walked up to her again when he gained the courage "I've feared this whole moment my whole life." Tiana rolled her eyes at him. "Everything will be fine, I promise you. You haven't failed to satisfy anybody in this restaurant; I'm sure she'll greatly appreciate it, no?"

"You're right, but there's still much to be done. The guests will be arriving soon. Ray, come with Mama. Daddy has to help prepare." Tiana took her son's hand.

"What? Why only Daddy?" Naveen pouted as he watched his wife and son walk away.

A few minutes later, the staff and owners were already done with the preparations once the guests started coming in. It was nearly a fullhouse; probably the most customers _Tiana's Palace_ had ever gotten. Tiana and Naveen did not know their generous daughter was this popular; it was still shocking to say the least.

"A fullhouse, Naveen! Can you believe it? This is going to be a real party!"

"This is no party without the guess of honor."

It was only a matter of time until _Tiana's Palace_'s VIP would show up.

* * *

**7:59**

At the last minute, the Facilier Sisters showed up in masquerade, which blended in with the crowd. As they entered the restaurant, Aurorette immediately became distracted. With the young fresh meat in their fancy apparel, she couldn't resist. Lucky her sister was there to grab her before she was in her flirtatious mode.

"Concentrate, you imbecile! We are not here to ogle about."

"Ah, but they're just asking for it!" Aurorette whined as she looked at the group of men she was going to swoon over.

"Not today. Let some other hussy grab those fools. We're here for one reason and one reason only."

"I know. I know."

Selene led her sister to a vacant table; they needed to go over their plan. "You remember what to do, don't you?"

"Yep. I release this little guy," she quickly showed out the peeved frog in the small cage. "when the guest of honor shows up." When she put him back, he began to curse and call for help at as failed attempt.

"So you do pay attention."

Aurorette frowned. "Men aren't the only thing always on my mind. But I still don't see how this going to help us." Her older sister ignored her.

When Selene looked into the crowd, she devilishly smiled. There were so many people; it was the perfect scenario for their plan to take action. With so many people, this restaurant would fall into the groud very quickly. "Perfect."

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the male owner of the restaurant announced. "May I present the honorable VIP of the night...!"

"She's here!" Aurorette was about to release the antsy amphibian, but her sister stopped her.

"Not yet! Just wait..."

* * *

**8:00 PM**

"My daughter, Evangeline!"

Everybody went wide-eyed when the birthday girl came into view.

Evangeline was wearing a beautiful lavender chiffon dress with arm-lengthed gloves. It was similar to the one her mother wore when she met her father (the blue one she wore in the movie). Her hair was in a bun, and a few curled strains of hair fell lose in the back. Her face was lightly covered in makeup. A crown was adorned on her head. She was a dazzling sight to see. The men couldn't keep their eyes off of her (which aggravated Naveen very much), and the women were too envious not to notice her (which made Tiana and Eudora very proud). The princess of _Tiana's Palace_ really did grow up.

The silence was making her nervous. She couldn't tell what the crowd was thinking. She twirled a strain of her hair at ease. The calm crowd suddenly turned boisterous as the people shouted together, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Her sensitive mood turned satisfied.

Her father offered his arm and she gladly took it as they went through the crowd. A few people came up to them to wish her a happy birthday again, and they even gave her a few compliments on the side, which made her blush a bit. Once they reached her mother and grandmother, they immediately jumped at her.

"Oh, babycakes! You look so beautiful!" Tiana acclaimed her daughter.

"Thanks, Mama." She turned to her grandmother. "Thanks, Grandma. This dress is wonderful." She hugged.

"Consider it my birthday gift to you."

"I told you she would love it!" Lydia showed up next to her friend. Her dress pink and puffy. There was no difference between her and her mother.

"Oh! My godbaby is eighteen!" Charlotte hugged her goddaughter tighten then she liked.

"Mama! You're gonna crush her!" Lydia quickly broke the hug between her mother and her best friend.

"Happy Birthday!" her little brother said, offering to hug her. She gladly took his offer and embraced him.

"And we have another surprise for you." Tiana said.

She moved aside to let a special someone go up to their niece. "Happy Birthday, _prutta_."

"Uncle Lucas!" Evangeline ran up to her Maldonian uncle and hugged for dear life. "You came!"

"I didn't want to miss this day for anything." Evangeline couldn't have been any happier at that moment. She hadn't seen her beloved uncle in a long time. Since he was so busy being the King of Maldonia because his older brother stayed in the United States, it was hard for him to travel across the country just to get to New Orleans. Since they were seven years apart, they were very close. "I got you something, too."

"What is it?"

"This." He held out a velvet box. He opened it to reveal a lavender corsage to match her attire. "This flower is very rare. It's only found in Maldonian. I thought it would be lovely on you."

Evangeline was close to tears. "Thank you, Uncle Lucas."

"Uncle! Uncle!" Ray ran up to his uncle. Lucas smiled at his nephew and picked him up.

"Now come on, Eva! There's a floor full of beau and I ain't lettin' any of 'em out of my sights!" She looked to her uncle and he nodded his approval to leave with her friend. Of course, Lydia didn't need his approval.

After Lydia dragged her poor friend away, a few of the older adults went over to family to appraise their daughter.

"She's so grown up," one said.

"Yes, she's quite lovely," another said.

"I remember when she was just a little girl. Now she's a blossoming woman." And plenty more boosts followed after.

The proud parents' eyes fell on their daughter, watching her and her best friend socialize with their other colleagues. Yep, their little girl was now a woman, they couldn't deny those facts, and it wouldn't be much longer until she moved out of the house. Of course, Evangeline still had a little of that childish spirit within her. Watching her was proof enough. It looked like she was enjoying herself very much.

"I told you she'd be grateful." Naveen told his wife.

"I know."

Meanwhile, as Lydia flirted with the male party guests, Evangeline walked away and stood at the sidelines, admiring the scenary. The restaurant had an underwater theme to it. There were swampy green and cyan blue streamers hanging from the first floor roof and off the ceiling. Even some of the guests were wearing masquerade. But what stood out the most was the stage. A bright blue shone from the stage as the band performed and the people danced. _Firefly 5 plus Louis _were playing more wily than usually; she had never heard them play this well before. The crowd was eating it up, too. The band members were wearing blue suits and the Louis was even wearing a bowtie. She thought it was cute. As she walked closer to the stage, her eyes met Louis's and he winked. She giggled.

When the song was over, the crowd cheered. Louis took this time to take a break and met up with Evangeline. "Happy Birthday, Eva!"

"Thanks, Lou." She hugged her gator friend. "You and the band were sure swingin'."

"Well, it's a special night."

She smiled at her friend. He smiled back. "I'm glad everybody's having a fun time."

"What about you?" he asked.

"Well... yeah, I guess I'm having fun." Evangeline response was rather hesitant. If Loius didn't know any better, it seemed like she wasn't having a good time at all.

Her sullen attitude was caused by her ealier thoughts. She officially an adult now and she didn't know what to do for the rest of her life. She didn't think she would want to go college; she couldn't imagine working any place else than her family's restaurant. Also, her little brother was only six. With their parents so busy, she didn't want to leave him alone. The conflict of her future was really getting to her. There was also her family's future to consider. She didn't know that many men, despite her reputation. The men she saw at the party were so... come-hither. But they couldn't even stay with one woman for five minutes. Even her Uncle Lucas was coying with some of them; with looks like his, it wouldn't be long until he could find himself a queen. What if she couldn't meet the perfect man?

The thought of men suddenly made her think about Thomas Satchell, the most dashing man on their block (besides her father). He said he would come with his friends, but he didn't recognize a single face that looked like him or his buddies. They could have been wearing masks, but they didn't seem like the kind of people who would do such a thing. They wouldn't pass up an opportunity to mingle with older woman by wearing masks. Oh, that's right, Tom was a playboy. How could she really expect him to keep his promise? There were many other beautiful ladies that would be well worth his time.

She broke out of her thoughts when she felt someone tapped her shoulder. She turned to see Thomas Satchell, the said playboy she had little faith in. "Tom, you made it!"

"I said I would come, wouldn't I?" he said, charmingly. "Now, how's about that dance you promised me?"

"S-Sure." She took the hand he offered and quickly led her to the dancefloor. Probably to get away from her intimidating reptilian friend. They blended in with the other dancers, but soon all the attention turned to them. The song was slow, so it gave Tom the advantage of putting both of his hands on her waists. Evangeline's arms were around his neck, but they slowly moved to down to his chest. She noticed the crowd's attention was on them, and quickly put her arms back around his neck. She didn't want her father to kill the most handsome man on the block (besides himself, of course) for looking so intimate with his only daughter. She saw Lydia with Tom's posse, giving her a thumbs up. She gave her friend an unsteady smile then turned her attention back to slow dancing with her crush. Her eyes met up to his and they both smiled at each other.

"You know, Eva," Tom said. "I've dated many girls."

"I know," she said, her voice was a little crestfallen when he mentioned it. "You're reputation perceives you."

He tensed when he felt her grip slowly loosen. She obviously was not happy to hear that. "Yeah, well... anyway, you're different."

"How exactly am I different?" she asked.

"Well, you're the most talented girl I know. You're also much kinder than those other girls. And..."

"And...?"

"I think-"

_Ribbit_.

"You think you 'ribbit'?"

"No, I said-" She started to giggle. "What's so funny?"

She was still laughing as he was waiting for her to answer. She was looking up, but not at his face. Right on top of his head was a slimy green amphibian, and he didn't even notice. When she was sober, she said. "There's a-"

"FROG!"

And that's when the chaos started.

* * *

**A/N: I just wanted to inform people who probably didn't figure it out (but should have because it's so obvious) that Lucas is Naveen's younger brother. He's seven years older than Evangeline. If anyone saw the movie, they would know he was six and a half years old (he was so cute!), so I made a seven year distinction between him and Evangeline. I thought it would be fun if I mentioned him once in this story. But this may not be the only time you get to see him...**

**_R&R!_**


	6. The Beginning of Chaos

**~The Beginning of Chaos~**

The trampling of feet and precipitation of large tumbling objects was making it difficult for Virgil to try and escape the wild fiasco. Of course, this was all his fault, but he couldn't help the way he looked. He was a frog, and he had no idea how this happened in the first place. All he could remember was being trapped in a cage two crazy witches-

_Oh yeah. _She_ did this to me. That bitch..._

When he found out one of the witchdoctors changed him, he started cussing her out and he didn't stop until they released him from the cage. They later let him go, which made him suspicious, but he could care less. He was about to leave until he realized he was a frog and he was unable to see the exit. This disadvantage was troublesome, and it made Virgil want to kill the witch who turned him into this vulnerable, amphibious creature. The only way he could see where he was going was to find a high place.

He jumped from chair to table, off a pillar, then landed on something high enough so he could see the exit. Whatever he landed on was very soft and hairy. He looked down to see that he was on top of a human. In front of him was a girl dressed in lavender, probably one of the most dazzling, glimmering dames he had almost fell head-over-heels for. Though she wasn't a love interest, he was still attracted to her, and he couldn't help but stare. Then again, if she noticed him, she seemed like the kind of girl who would flip out when they saw a frog on their date's head. He had to leave before something like that happened. But then, it happened.

He croaked. And then she saw him. He didn't know how to react when she finally noticed him. At first, she just continued to stare, then her stoic face melted into a whimsical face of laughter. She was giggling. At _him_. This wasn't the first time a girl laughed him.

_But this time, she's laughing at me because I'm a stupid frog._

This reaction was better than he thought it would be, but he knew it would bring him more attention. He was surprised that her date hadn't noticed he was on his head.

_He uses too much hair gel. I can feel it sticking to my fingers._

Suddenly, one of the party guests screamed. That was his cue to run. Or hop.

That was what led to the clutter of wine glasses and expensive china. Although it was a big dilemma to him, he also found it funny when the guy he was on screamed like a little girl. He wasn't used to his... condition, so it was hard for him to move. Hopping was like a difficult chore, only he didn't know it was temporary or not. Teaching him a lesson? What was that suppose to mean to him? He had no idea, and it was killing him, too, like how a falling chair almost killed him.

Through the forest of stamping feet, he could see the open exit to a safe haven. One last hop and he was out of there. His biggest leap attempt almost got him to the door.

Almost.

Right in the air, before he could even reach the door, he was caught by none other than the lavender beauty herself.

Once he was securely in her hands, she ran outside to avoid anymore of the chaos. Though he was in the hands of the girl everybody in the streets of New Orleans knew, he didn't know what to expect from her. He heard rumors about this girl, the beautiful, dexterous, tender-hearted Evangeline who can do almost anything. Though those were just exaggerations, he knew she was very talented. But he didn't believe that just because she was a temperamental person, didn't mean she had the heart to have mercy on the guy-the frog-that ruined her party. Murder would be heartless, frog or not, but would that even matter to her?

_But killing a frog would be a terrible waste, wouldn't it? She could use my legs for-what the hell am I saying?_

Would he think she would do such a thing? This was the renowned, infallible Evangeline! Rushing to conclusions was not going to help him here.

She went behind the restaurant and went down by the pier. He didn't know what she was doing, but he still held his assumptions. Going to the pier only meant one thing:

_Oh shit! This chick is going to drown me!_

It would be difficult, since he was a frog, but not impossible. But she didn't do a thing like that. In fact, she did the complete opposite. Once she was at the port, she released him. "Here you go, lil' fella," she said as she set him on the ground. "You belong out here. Wouldn't want you to get stepped on." After that, she walked away without looking back. She was such a considerate girl. Or should he say "woman". After all that, she was just going to let him go. She must've felt something. Even the calm and collected Evangeline had to blow off some steam.

He continued to watch her as she retreated, but she didn't go back to the restaurant. Instead, it looked like she was going to the building next door. He decided to follow her.

She did, in fact, enter the neighboring building. He wondered why she did that. It was considered rude to leave a devastated party unattended like that, wasn't it? He'd leave too, once a party like that went down the drain, but he was the one at fault, though. He couldn't help but feel guilty.

She entered the apartment building, casually. It must've been her home. Living next door to the greatest hot spot in New Orleans was very convenient and he considered her to be very lucky. She had so much more that he didn't. What else would you expect from New Orleans' princess? Inside was a different story, though. It wasn't much of a palace, but it looked like a decent place to live. She went through the living room to enter another. It must've been her bedroom. He entered without hesitation.

Her room was smaller than he imagined it to be. He shook his head. He needed to stop applying his false imaginations to her life; she was not a real princess, he reminded himself. This place was as average as any other New Orleans apartment building. Her room was also a little childish, with stuff animals on top of some shelves and a dresser. He saw her grab one of her stuffed animals, which so happened to be frog, and sat in the chair in front of the mirror of her make up dresser. One hand covered her face and the other held the fluffy toy to her closely to her chest. Then she started shaking. He knew she was crying. Maybe that was why she didn't go back to the party. He sighed. He ruined Evangeline's party and made her cry; that was probably his biggest blunder, yet. He was about to leave when all of a sudden, he heard a snicker. The snickering quickly turned to chortling, which quickly turned into jovial giggling.

_She's... laughing...? Seriously?_

The joyful laughter began to echoe through the apartment, the ground beneath him was practically shaking. "Ha, ha..." Laughter slowly calmed as she began to settle herself down. She wiped the tears that were forming from the corners of her eyes. "Ha... that was hilarious," she told herself. "I've never had so much fun in one night." A few chuckles came after that statement.

Virgil was shocked. She still had fun after that little fiasco at her family's restaurant. Somehow, this girl was able to see the bright side to everything. And he was glad.

"This girl is... something." he thought out loud. He decided then he should leave. Then he stopped. He was a frog. Where was he suppose to go? The Bayou? There was no way he was going there, and he didn't think his friend Maurice would be fine with a peculiar, talking frog staying at his place. What was he going to do?

"Did you follow me here?" Virgil swiftly turned to the owner of the voice. "I guess you got attached to me, huh, lil' fella?" She lavender princess picked him up. "You can stay here tonight, but tomorrow, you gotta go home. You're lucky my parents are frog friendly." She set him down on one of the dresser. "I love frogs, too, but my folks don't want freeloaders to stay here, so don't tell you're friends." she joked.

She liked frogs. That wasn't something you heard everyday. A girl having a fetish for frogs was like the wealthy La Bouffs sharing stocks. It was not likely to happen in any millennia. Of course, this was the famous Evangeline. It wouldn't be a surprise if she hugged alligators.

That suddenly gave him an idea. No, he wasn't going to hug alligators. Since she favored frogs, maybe she could help him with his problem. He wasn't sure if it would work, and he was afraid of her reaction once he started talking to her, but Virgil was desperate.

"I guess I should leave. My folks are probably wondering where I am-"

"Hold up! Don't leave!"

She froze. Holding the frame of the door, she slowly turned around to the swampy-green frog on her dresser. She stared at him. He stared back at her, aimlessly. She laughed to herself. "Funny, I thought I just heard you talk."

"You heard right, _princess_." the supposed innocent frog said. Evangeline froze again. He smirked, even though he was cringing on the inside.

Though he knew he was getting himself into trouble, he was still afraid of the circumstances.

* * *

Sorry it took so long to update! Now that school has begun, I'm finding it hard to update on my other stories. But I'm going to try my best to update this story and "Our Love Made Mistakes" a lot more.

_**R&R!**_


	7. The Scam

**~The Scam~**

Evangeline was confused. For a moment, she thought she heard a frog talk. Frogs, or any kind of animal for that matter, weren't suppose to talk, were they? Sure, her friend Louis could talk, but didn't everybody know that? Couldn't everybody understand him? Everybody in her family could understand Louis, except for her grandmother. She was just like everybody else. And the only talking frog she knew was the prince in the stories her parents told when she was little, and they were just simple fairy tales. They couldn't possibly be true... could they?

None of this was making any sense.

She was still staring at the talking frog, trivial about her next move. The frog was staring at her, insidiously, waiting for her to say or do something.

_What should I do?_

"Anytime, Princess." he said, teasingly.

"You talk."

"That was already established, wasn't it?"

She knew that and his sarcasm was not necessary, but what else was she going to say? She couldn't think straight. Everything was inside out and upside down. If an alligator can talk, why couldn't a frog? She couldn't understand why she was so confused about this. "It's okay, Eva. It's okay," she told herself. "Just because there's a talking frog in your room and one of your best friends is a talking alligator who can play the trumpet and now you feel like you're going to faint doesn't mean you're crazy. It's just means..."

"Hold on a sec, you talk to alligators?"

"Oh God, I've gone mad!" She collapsed in the chair again and covered her eyes with her hands, panicking.

"Hold up, Princess," the frog hopped onto her dresser. "I didn't mean to freak you out."

"Freak me out?" she barked. "No, no, no, you did more than just freak me out. You-you... _Faldi faldonza_!" She shot out of her seat, startling the frog on her dresser. She was upset, alright. She had never talked in her father's native tongue unless she was in fermentation or if she was completely astonished; her voice was lacking the excitement, so she was obviously upset. "What am I suppose to think of this? There is a _talking frog_ in my room, but why am I so frazzled? I mean, Louis is a talking alligator for Pete's sake!" She paced around the room as she continued to rant on about the things that kept the frog in the dark. "I can talk to Louis later, but you...! I-I am just... shocked, to say the least. The _very_ least. Who do you think-who are you anyway, huh? What kind of frog are you? Some magically, crazy, talking frog?"

Virgil blinked. "_Crazy_? The only person here who is crazy is that crazy _witch_ who turned me into this!" He jestered to himself.

Evangeline guffawed. "Okay, let me guess: you're a prince who was turned into a frog by some... psycho witchdoctor because you're a selfish, ignorant brute, and now you're looking for some princess who is gullible enough to actually fall for a sympathetically bogus story like that?"

"Well..." Virgil paused for a moment. A prince, huh? He had heard of this story before: _The Frog Prince_. It was the fairytale classic story his mom always read to him when he was a child. Back then, he was like any innocent, naïve younster who believed in such delusive tales, including Evangeline; now, he could probaby use that to his advantage. This girl did not look stupid, but she did love frogs; she probably wouldn't mind kissing one. "Yes, I am a prince."

She froze. At first, he thought she actually fell for that ridiculous nonsense, but then she began to laugh again. But he didn't give up hope. He was going to have to use his quick wits in order to get to her. "You, a prince? _Please_! What do you take me for? An imbecile?"

"No, Princess. But hear me out," Virgil pleaded. Using decorum to get to the girl was already starting to make him sick. He wasn't adjusted to talking so promptly. "I just so happen to be the prince of... Nigeria."

The lavender-clad woman raised an eyebrow. Then she shook her head. "You sleazy, bug-eyed, son-of-a-"

"It's the truth!" he barked at her. He didn't know where this argument was getting them, but he knew it was heading somewhere, hopefully in the direction he wanted it to go.

"Why should I believe you?" she rebutted.

"How else would I be able to talk?" he shot back.

She froze again. This time, he got her. "... Fine. Maybe you are a prince; why should I kiss you, though? I don't even know you, and I'm not justing going to give away a free kiss to some suspicious 'frog prince'. I'm not even a princess."

He groaned, but he quickly stifled it. Lying was a cinch to him, or at least it was supposed to. This girl was more persistent than he thought she would be. The Evangeline he heard about on the streets was always benevolent and willing to help others if she could, but he did not expect her to suddenly turn him down and snap at him. She was acting like a completely different person. "Listen, I just need your help. You can find some other way to change me back, fine. I'll even give you whatever you want if you can find some kind of cure for my... condition, but I desperately need your help."

Virgil seethed after stressing his plea. He had never confessed to _anyone_ in his whole entire life-and hadn't planned on doing it in the future, either-that he was desperate for _anything_. Evangeline could see that he was having a hard time admitting his desperation, and that was probably something you'd expect from a spoiled, pampered prince like him. She still had her doubts, but she chose to suffice, for now.

"Okay, I'll help ya, but if you're a nuisance-"

"I promise I ain't-I won't cause any you any trouble. If I do, think your folks will believe you?"

"Why on Earth would they believe a talking frog could cause me so much trouble?"

"_Evangeline!_" A different voice echoed through the apartment, startling the two occupants.

_Uncle Lucas!_

"Evangeline, are you up there!" She heard footsteps, followed by a couple more and few more calls. Her parents and her uncle had been looking for her, and now they were going to come upstairs to see a frog in her room. As long as he didn't talk, she thought it would be okay. "Stay here, Prince-"

"-Virgil."

"-I'll be right back."

"As you say wish, Princess."

She scowled at him before she quickly retreated out of her room to go to her family's aid. She had almost forgot about the mess the "prince" caused at her party. It wasn't as disastrous as it was humorous to her. The only part about it she didn't appreciate was cleaning up the mess. Her family still needed the place for tomorrow when morning customers came in, and she knew none of the guests would help them clean up. She knew her family wasn't going to make her help clean up the catastrophe since it was her special day, but she loved her family's restaurant so much, she wanted to help them take care of it.

The "prince" watched her as she left to reply to the calls heard ealier. She had a family who was concerned about her; he was almost jealous about it, especially since the whole situation seemed ironic. Now that he had a surbordinate, he wouldn't have any problems, as far as he knew. He had a place to stay, all the food he could eat, and a girl. Now all he needed was a way to change back to his old self.

_It can't be that hard, can it?_

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the restaurant, as the guest began to leave, the two sisters hid in between the _Tiana's Palace_ and the building next door. Before the frog fiasco happened, they went outside and watched the action. Selene grinned at the mere thought of this food establishment falling to the ground because of a simple little toad. Her younger sister, however, was enjoying the scene of many disturbed guests trying to step on the fearful creature.

"That was great, Sis!" Aurorette exclaimed as they went back to their brother's ruined imporium. "It's about time that place had some comedy routines!"

Selene sighed at her sister immature remark. "Focus, Aurorette. Our mission is to get the girl, not to flimsy about."

"I know, I know-Oh, oh! There she is!" The younger sister pointed out the fanciful-dressed princess coming out of the building next door. "What are we waiting for? Let's grab her!"

"No! Not now."

"Why not?"

Selene pointed back to where the princess went. She was no longer alone. Her family and the trumpet-playing alligator soon joined her. "We can't get her with others around. We could get easily caught. We have to wait for the right time."

"What are we going to do now?"

"Go back home, of course! We still have much to prepare for..."

And with that, the two occult sisters went back to their brother's ruined voodoo emporium, planning the family's demise...

* * *

Whoop! I updated earlier this time! I think that was my fastest update ever!

_**R&R!**_


	8. The Day of Disaster

**~The Day of Disaster~**

As usual as any morning, Evangeline woke up to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing, reverberating through the thick, winter air of March. She rubbed her eyes as she rose up from her sleeping position, and stretched out her arms in a feline-like manner. This was her usual morning routine. This morning, though, she didn't expect to wake up next a peculiar, green amphibian.

She would have yelped if it wasn't for the fact that she already knew who the frog was. The unknown Prince Virgil from... was it Nigeria? That was what he told her last night. Could she really believe him? His sleeping posture was not as proper as she thought it should've been, with his arms sticking out in awkward positions and his long amphibious tongue falling out unconciously, leaving a streak of drivel on her satin pillow. She grimaced at the sight in digust. Princes were supposed to be elegant, conscious or not. Or that was what she thought. She wouldn't be surprised if her Uncle Lucas looked as sloppy in his sleep. Then she heard him snore. She was about ready to snap.

Evangeline hesitated to touch the mucus-coated creature. He just looked too... _grotesque_ to her liking. Since she couldn't touch him, there was one thing she could do:

She flipped her pillow over; she could hear his grunt as he landed on the floor. "Dammit!" he cursed. "What the hell was that for?"

She ignored his inappropriate language and answered, "You were drooling on my pillow and you were snoring like a pig. How else was I going to wake you up?"

Virgil glared at her. He obviously wasn't a morning person. She smiled at him, ludicrous. She obviously _was_ a morning person. Throwing him off the bed must've had been a bonus on her part. Now that he was awake and soar, he anticipated an atonement breakfast. She knew that, too.

"So, what are we going to do today?" he asked, pain was evident in his tone.

"Well, _I'm_ going to be busy working at _Tiana's Palace_, today," she replied, removing the covers over her lap. "Since you're not aware, Mardi Gras is coming soon, so we need to prepare." Virgil forgot all about Mardi Gras. He never celebrated it; he never even stayed awake at night to look at the parade. It brought back too many memories he wanted to keep forgotten in his subconscious. "You, on the other hand, can just... you know, do whatever frog 'princes' do."

"You're leaving me here?" he asked, credulous.

"You don't have to stay here, but you can't go back to the restaurant." she said, matter of factly. "Not after the little fiasco you caused yesterday."

"That wasn't my fault. I told, it was-"

"The witches, I know," she said going to her closet, deciding on what she was going to wear today. "Even if I did bring you, I wouldn't know where to put you. You're not allowed in the kitchen, or anywhere in the restaurant for that matter, so you might as well stay here."

"But you promised you would help me turn me back to normal."

"And I will. Just not today. Now, get out of my room so I can change." She swept him with her foot until he was on the outside of her room, and then closed the door.

Virgil was stupified. Now what was he going to do? The princess was too preoccupied to help him today; he wondered how busy she would be tomorrow. If she had no time for him, how were they supposed to fix his problem? How was he going to get back to normal? He needed a faster way to fix him, and obviously, going to the princess was no help at all. He needed a quicker solution.

"Froggy." Virgil turned to the little voice. It was a little boy (not so little to Virgil, though). He looked like Evangeline, only his curly brown hair and chocolate-brown eyes were much darker. He also had freckles on his face.

"What is it, Ray?" Another but much older voice asked the curious little boy.

"Froggy!" he said again pointing to the speechless toad on the floor. The feign prince didn't know why he was still there. He knew he shouldn't have been out in the open, but he had no where else to go. The pushy princess kicked him out-him of all things!-and now he was sitting in front of her little brother. "Froggy!" The little boy kept saying over and over.

On the other side of her door, Evangeline could hear her younger brother's little chants. He must've saw the prince.

_Hopefully he won't do anything stupid, like talking._

"It is a frog," she heard her father say. "I wonder how it got in here. You look quite familiar, little guy."

"Can we keep it?" She held her breath.

"Frogs do not belong inside, Ray. They enjoy the freedom, no?" She sighed when her father said those words, and continued to change into her clothes for the day.

_Dammit. They put me outside._

Virgil sat at the entry, clueless as to what to do next. Now that he was outside, there was only one place for him to go, but he'd rather risk getting his legs fried. He decided to go to the restaurant to meet up with the princess. Even though she told him not to go there, he thought a nice surprise might cajole her to help him return back to normal.

Before she left the house, Evangeline checked her make up and made sure she was ready. She grabbed her purse and ran out the door, unaware of the little green surprise waiting for her at _Tiana's Palace_.

* * *

It was not a very busy day at _Tiana's Palace_. Some of the usual morning customers were there, but the place was already half empty. Evangeline thought it was because of the frog fiasco that happened last night at her party, but that was a one time event-the only time an infestation of some kind invaded the restaurant. It wasn't like some sort of pandemic.

In fact, it shouldn't have been considered an infestation. It was only one frog-a frog prince, to be more exact. He acted more like a freeloader than a prince, though: Hiding in her home, sleeping in her bed, and mooching off her family's food. She'd help him-no, she'd take him and throw him into the deepest part of the Bayou if she wasn't so busy. Her family still had to prepare for Mardi Gras. They would be closing the restaurant early to get ready; that was why the morning was very hasty, even though there weren't that many customers.

Suddenly, the restaurant doors busted open. "Good news, Eva!" the loquacious Lydia sang as she ran to her best friend. "I have the most fantastic news!"

"What is it, Lydia? I'm kinda of busy." She said rushing to a table to serve their meal.

The blonde grabbed her friend's arm and dragged her to the corner of the restaurant. She vigilantly looked around to make sure no one was listening before whispering, "I overheard Momma and Big Daddy talking, and they said that your daddy is the runner up as King of the Mardi Gras Parade!"

"Really?" She suddenly looked at her friend in appeal.

"Yep! But don't tell nobody yet. I'm not even supposed to know."

Evangeline rolled her eyes. "I figured as much. Now run along. I have a job to do."

"Why work? We should go out and celebrate! Let's go shopping!"

"The restaurant's too busy for me to go out. We're going to close early to prepare for Mardi Gras; you should go home and help Aunt Lotte and Big Daddy with the parade preparations. Besides, you've gone shopping without me before."

"But it's not the same without you!"

She ignored her after that. A few moments later, the last customer left the restaurant and the family went to work. Suddenly, a man in a brown coat, a bowler hat, glasses and with a suitcase in hand entered the bistro.

"I'm sorry sir, but we're closed." Naveen walked up to the man. Tiana, Evangeline, and Ray Ray stopped what they were doing and watched as Naveen approached the man. The young boy was unaware, but and the two women knew that if a suspicious person ever came near them or their restaurant, Naveen would try to handle it his own way. "May I help you?"

"I'm the health inspector."

"Health inspector?" Tiana walked to the two men. "Who called the health department?"

"Someone, who will remain unnamed, called and told us about a frog infestation."

Everybody exchanged glances. "That was just an accident. It was only one frog-"

"One frog can lead to millions in just a few days, Madam. Now, I'm going to have to check your kitchen."

The man began to head for the door that led to the kitchen, until Naveen blocked him. "No one is allowed back here unless you are apart of the staff."

"Naveen! Calm youself." Tiana grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry for my husband's insolence, but I can assure you, sir, that there are no frogs in this restaurant. I don't know who called you, but you don't need to waste anymore of your time-"

A scream suddenly came from the kitchen.

"-here."

"THERE'S A FROG IN THE KITCHEN!"

Evangeline facepalmed.

_He didn't..._

She rushed past her parents and the health inspector, and entered the kitchen to see the staff trying to kill the frog prince. He jumped through the obstacles of pots, pans, and flying kitchen utensils, struggling to reach an exit. Once his eyes laid on her, they began to plead for help. She joined in the action to look inconspicuous so she could grab him and run. Once her hands were on him though, she would squeeze him until there was no more air in his lungs.

"Thank you, princess! I surely owe you for this!"

"You already owe me pal." she whispered, venomously incoherent as she fled out of the kitchen.

Virgil gulped. _I'm doomed._

"Hey, where'd it go?" one of the waiters said. They all stopped brandishing the implements in their hands to look for the frog.

Evangeline quickly put the frog in her purse and joined her parents in the kitchen again. They looked at the forgotten health inspector, who was raising his eyebrow in suspicion. They smiled at him, but it wasn't convincing.

"I'm closing this establishment down until further notice."

"What!" everyone cried out in unison.

"Please, sir. It's almost Mardi Gras. Can't you wait until the holiday is over?" Tiana pleaded.

The man looked at the family and sighed, suddenly feeling some remorse. "Fine. Someone else will come here the day after Mardi Gras to check if this establishment should be open any further. Until then," He took something out of his suitcase and put it on one of the windows. "This restaurant will be closed. Good day." After that, he left.

"We were closing, anyway." Naveen suddenly said. Tiana frowned at him.

Meanwhile, the health inspector walked back to whence he came, Selene watched, smirking in victory. The restaurant was closed, just like she planned. Her maniacal laughter echoed through the alleyway as she strolled back to her HQ where her sister was waiting to prepare for Phase Two of their evil plot.

* * *

"How dare you!" Evangeline was stomping through her room, furious about the incident that happened a few moments ago. "How dare you go to my family's restaurant when I told you to stay here! You just had to tarnish my family's reputation by committing such tomfoolery! You are one hard-headed, idiotic fool! I ought to put you a on a spit and roast your legs right now!" Steam was practically fuming out of her ears. Virgil had never seen someone look so bent out of shape. He really messed up since he made New Orlean's culinary princess blow a fuse.

"I said I was sorry! What do you want me to do?"

"I know you can't do anything to help; you've been nothing but a nuisance. I think it would be best if you just left."

"I'll leave once you help me change back, remember?"

"Why should I help you? You've been causing me nothing but trouble since you got here, you're the reason why _Tiana's Palace_ is closed, and now who knows what's going to happen to us...!" She sat on her bed and covered her face with her hands. "This could ruin my father's chances of becoming King of the Mardi Gras Parade. _Tiana's Palace_ could be closed _forever_. What am I going to do?"

Virgil sat there as he watched Evangeline sulk. He felt guilty for making her life difficult, especially since she did nothing but help him, even though she didn't have to. Evangeline wasn't like that though. She was kind, charitable, and she wouldn't abandon someone in their time of need, even if they did make her life a living hell. He knew that, and he needed help. But pushing her further would probably make her break down from the stress. She wasn't the kind of person who grew angry very often; he was surprised she didn't have a stroke. He continued to sit there as she cooled down.

"There's only one solution, then," she suddenly stood from her spot. Her sullen expression was firm. "I'm going to find a way to turn you back to normal."

The feign prince leaped for joy, literally. "Thank you, princess!"

"Don't thank me until you pay me back like you said. If you're not a real prince..."

Virgil gulped. She already showed her fury after what happened at the restaurant. If she were to find out he was lying, he was afraid of the consequences. Of course, he was at fault for dragging her into this mess. She had the right to cook him if this didn't work.

He just had to hope everything would turn out alright in the end.

Meanwhile, a shadow hidden beneath the darkness of noontime shade watched and listened in on the two's conversation. It quickly retreated back to its master to report the news.

* * *

Sorry it took so long to update! One of my friends asked me to update soon, so this chapter is mostly for her (of course it's also for those who favor this story). I'm there are people out there who like this story!

**_R&R!_**


	9. The Beginning of a Journey

**~The Beginning of a Journey~**

Evangeline packed for the journey she was about to endure. She had no idea what she was doing, but from all the stories she heard from her childhood, she remembered one peculiar name:

Mama Odie, the Voodoo Queen of the Bayou. Supposedly, she could do many wonders as the master of voodoo magic, and she lived in a boat in a tree in the depths of the Bayou. She was the only reliable source, and the only person she knew who could probably help them. Now, all she had to worry about were the feral creatures, the murky swamp, and other very dangerous obstacles that could get in their way. But if a person could magically turn into a frog, and if she was able to talk to gators, anything was possible.

It was almost midnight. Evangeline was ready to set course for the journey. Virgil was waiting impatiently in her knapsack, nagging her to hurry up. She pushed him out of her pack as punishment. "You're a frog," she reminded him. "You'll be able to survive in Bayou on your own two webbed feet."

He grunted before hopping out of her room before her. On her way out of the apartment, Evangeline heard scratching on the pavement behind her. She didn't turn her head, but she was able see the silhouette of a certain alligator. Running to the next building, she hid behind the wall in an attempt to expose her stalker. Virgil followed, but he was a little puzzled about what she was doing.

"What the he-"

"_Shhhhh! _Someone's following us." she whispered. They waited a while for the mystery stalker to come out. Once she saw the familiar shadow, she jump out of her hiding spot and simply said, "Boo."

"AH!" Louis fell back and covered his eyes. He opened up one hand and breathed out a sigh. "Don't scare me like that, Eva. Cut this poor alligator some slack."

"Why are you following me?" she inquired, poking the gator's nose.

"Sorry, Eva, but I didn't think it was safe for you to be out here all by yourself. You know what time it is, don't cha?"

She sighed. "Yes I do." She had forgotten Louis lived in a shed by the pier. She should've had known he could see her. "I'm fine, but ah..." She looked at the frog who was still hiding behind the building. From what she could see, he was quavering, feasibly because of her large, reptilian friend.

Then she thought of something. This voodoo nonsense was probably the reason why she was able to communicate with him. Maybe he knew something. "Louis, do you happen to know anything about... voodoo?"

"VOODOO!"

"_Shhhhhhh!_" She shut the gator's mouth. "_Faldi faldonza_, Lou! Calm down."

When she removed her hands, he gulped. "Sorry, but you don't want to mess with voodoo, girl. I only know one person who deals with that kind of hoodoo."

"Who?" she inquired.

"Mama Odie, the Voodoo Queen of the Bayou. She has magic, and spells, and she lives in the deepest, darkest part of the Bayou."

_So she _is_ real._

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh! Well, I'm in a bit of a tight fix. You see..." Evangeline couldn't come up with the words she needed to say. How would Louis react if she told him that a self-claimed frog _prince_ just waltzed into her home and wouldn't leave until he helped her change back into a human, and in return, he could possibly help them get _Tiana's Palace_ five star reputation back with his endless supply of imaginary moneybanks? "I have this friend who's in a... predicament."

"Who's this friend?"

"That would be me." The veridian toad jumped out of his hiding spot. "Heya, gator." A voice croaked behind them.

Louis stared at the frog, dubiously. "Who's he?"

"He's my tight fix. You see, his name's Virgil and he happens to be the Prince of Nigeria." She quickly whispered, "Which I find utterly bogus. You see, we're going to look for Mama Odie so we can get this curse off of him. That way, he'll help us get our restaurant back and be rid of our lives forever."

The prince scowled at her. "Hey, I'm not that bad of company, am I?"

"Yes, you are."

Louis facepalmed. "Not another one," he mumbled. "I swear, it's like Naveen and Tiana are voodoo magnets. First the Shadow Man, now-"

"Louis, what are you talking about?"

He froze. He had forgotton that he was still standing with Evangeline and the talking frog. He promised Naveen and Tiana that he wouldn't utter a word about their little magical odyssey-and it was definitely _odd_-in front of Evangeline. When she was little, she was very gullible, believing the fairytales her parents told to her. Now that she was older, she knew better, but the magic had never left her. The frog prince was proof enough.

_Maybe their family is cursed with this voodoo jazz-_

"_Louis!_" the impatient woman shouted at him for the umpteenth time. "Will you help us or not?

Hesitantly, he answered, "I-I ain't know nothing about this voodoo stuff, but I don't think you should go out in the Bayou. It's too dangerous."

"I'm not going anywhere until he's walking on all twenties," She pointed to Virgil. "and once my parents wake up to find that I'm missing, you're going to feel so guilty. Besides," she turned away from him with her arms crossed and a sly smirk growing on her face. "You usually crack under pressure, anyway."

"I do not!" the offended gator protested. "And I'll just tell them, anyhow!"

"Are you sure you could do that? Leaving me so easily defenseless in the Bayou, where I'm vulnerable to anything with just some meager frog?"

"But Mardi Gras is in two days! I have to practice with the band for the parade and-"

"I understand. Well, see you in two days, Lou... maybe." She began walking away, and Virgil soon followed.

"What are you planning?" he asked.

"You'll see."

Louis was perplexed about the situation. He couldn't just leave Evangeline to fend for herself in the Bayou. But if he also left with her and her new froggy friend, Tiana and Naveen would still be suspicious. Of course, leaving her alone was worse than staying behind. He finally cracked under the pressure.

"Alright! I'll come! I'd never forgive myself if anything were to happen to you!"

"Well, if you insist Louis." She shrugged as if she was nonchalant about his situation. "Now, let's go."

Evangeline trotted off before the two green creatures who were still baffled about what just happened. Louis turned to Virgil and said, "I feel doped."

He shrugged. "She's got me, gator. If I were you, I'd do what she says."

Virgil soon followed after her, leaving Louis to his baffled thoughts.

Thus, the threesome began their perilous journey into the Bayou. And as the three began their journey, a lurking shadow watched them from afar. As soon as they were gone, he left to report his discovery to his master.

* * *

"Selene! Selene!" Aurorette ran out of her room with a crystal ball in her heads, heading towards her sister. "_Selene!_"

"Damn it, girl! I'm right here!" Selene scolded her. "Now, what is so important that you need to barge in here like you have no sense?"

"The girl and that toad went into the Bayou!"

Selene scoffed. "That's all? What are they going to do? Look for a magical talking cricket or a fairy that will turn him back into a real boy?"

"But they have a gator with them! And-"

Selene grabbed her lips. "Quit your babbling, Aurorette. There's absolutely nothing to worry about." She released her lips and patted her cheeks. "Even with an alligator, it'll still be quite easy to get to them. Besides, we still have others things to concentrate on. Mardi Gras is coming soon."

"But Sis-"

"And we still need to prepare the sacrifice's ceremony."

"But Selene-"

"Damn it, Aurorette! What is it? Spit out!"

Aurorette shivered in fear before answering her sister. "They're going to see Mama Odie."

Selene froze. "Mama Odie...?"

The younger sister nodded.

The older sister exploded. "THIS IS _UNACCEPTABLE!_" She grabbed the crystal ball in her sister's hands. "Where are they now?" The image that appeared in the glass sphere showed the young woman, along with the notorious frog and her gator friend. "Why didn't you tell me sooner!"

"I was trying to, but-"

"Never mind, Aurorette," the elder one interrupted her sister once again, and sighed afterwards, exasperated. "They won't be able to get far." Selene whistled, summoning a few of their _Friends from the Otherside_. "Go after that girl and that dumb frog! Make sure they don't reach that boat house." They nodded before going on their search. "_Now_ there's nothing to worry about."

"You make it seem so easy."

"It is easy when you have friends like these. Now, back to the preparations!"

Selene left the room, leaving her sister to her worried thoughts. She had a feeling that their "friends" wouldn't be able to help them for long.

* * *

"Louis, do you even know where we're going?"

It was only a few minutes after the group had started their expedition that Louis began to lead them into the wrong direction. They realized that when they passed the same broken stump three times.

"I'm pretty sure this is the way to go," Louis said. "I think."

"Ah, great!" Virgil griped. "Why was it a good idea to trust this guy again?"

Evangeline frowned at him, which quickly shut him up, and went to comfort a moping Louis. "It's okay, Lou. You haven't been in the Bayou in a long time; it's not your fault you don't remember where Mama Odie's is." she consoled him while patting his back. "I think it's better if we stop, anyway. It's getting too late."

"Gee, you think?"

The courageous frog received another glare from her. Even though Virgil's griping was a nuisance, Evangeline had to admit she was extremely tired. It was very late, her hair was a mess, and there was murky water in her boots. She was relieved when they finally stopped.

The group settled by a nearby tree. Louis laid by the water, already snoozing away. Evangeline made herself comfortable using her knapsack as a pillow and wrapped a packed blanket around her body. She had never been camping before, so sleeping outside in a swampy forest was a whole new experience for her. From what she could see, it was also new to Virgil. He was curled up in a tight ball, shivering because of the cold. In pity, Evangeline tore a corner of her blanket and laid it on top of Virgil. He stopped shivering as soon as he realized he was no longer cold. He gripped the torn piece of blanket and wrapped it around his tiny body. Then he saw the princess walk back to her spot. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"You're welcome." she replied.

The fraud prince observed her as she drifted off to sleep. She looked so worn out. He couldn't help but feel... he didn't know. He hadn't felt this way in a long time, and it felt _horrible_. It was like a heavy weight was inside his chest was accumulating in size. He blamed _her_ for this burden, too. She didn't have to help him. In fact, she was about to reject him, anyway. But he didn't play the trump card on her. Yet, this girl in front of him was still such an enigma to him.

As Virgil continued to look at Evangeline as tried to make herself comfortable, he said, "I don't get you."

She suddenly stopped her what she was doing and looked at the frog. "Get what, exactly?"

"Why are you still here?"

"Why do you think?" Her rhetorical question had a very obvious rhetorical answer, which made the heavy feeling in his chest grow larger.

"But look at you: you're filthy, you're sleeping on the muddy ground for Pete's sake, and you're traveling across the Bayou with a talking frog and a trumpet playing alligator. Why are you so bound on getting me back to normal?"

She sighed in world-weariness. "First off, you _bribed_ me and gave me the guilt trip." She got him there. "And thanks to you, my family's restaurant's reputation is swirling down the drain as we speak, thanks to you." He could feel the venom in her voice when she said you.

"This restaurant seems very important."

"What was your first clue?" He was about to answer when a snore from Louis suddenly interrupted their conversation. Then she continued, "My family worked so hard to get _Tiana's Palace_. My mom has always told me ever since I was a little girl that she and Daddy had gained that restaurant by working together and not giving up, which was what her father also told her. That was also how they first met." She smiled at that. "There hasn't been that much history put into _Tiana's Palace_, but ever since she told me that, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I could contribute to it. I want to help continue the family business and have my most treasured memory there. And I want to share these memories with the people I love, just like my parents are doing. If we were to ever lose that place," She covered her face with her blanket. "I don't know what I'll do."

Suddenly, the heavy weight in his chest grew to its limit. What was this feeling, again? Oh yeah: _guilt_. This innocent young woman was in this situation because of him. Because he couldn't solve his own problems. He knew he couldn't do this alone, but why did he choose this girl? She had a seemingly fabulous life and a family who she cared about deeply, and it sounded like they cared about her deeply, too. It was his fault he was making her miserable.

"So, what about you?" She suddenly questioned him. "What are you going to do once you're human again?"

"Well, I'll tell you what I'm _not_ going to do," he started. "I'm not going to be dealing with no more witches. I'm gonna start fresh. I'll start my business in a different part of town, and-wait, uh..." Virgil had suddenly realized he had blown his cover (even though Evangeline was already suspicious of him from the beginning). He could already see the smirk on Evangeline's face.

"Good night, _Prince Virgil,_" she said before finally going to sleep.

Yep, Evangeline was something, Virgil thought before going to sleep himself.

Sleeping in a wet, mossy jungle suddenly didn't seem so bad after an exhausting jam session. Tomorrow, the group would have a lot more to endure. And there was only one force that could stop them...

**_TBC..._**

* * *

Don't you love movie references?

Anyway, it's a new year, so plz read my profile. I have new stories ideas and there's a new poll!

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**_And vote the poll!_**


	10. The Bayou

**~The Bayou~**

The next morning, Tiana and Naveen woke up to find that their daughter was missing. It was very unorthodox because Evangeline was usually the last one up. Where could she possibly have gone?

"Maybe she's at Charlotte's visiting Lydia?" Naveen suggested.

"Why would she just leave like that without telling us?" Tiana asked. "Besides, you know how Eva is. She's very slow in the mornings. We would've heard her alarm clock."

"True," Naveen thought for a moment. "Maybe Louis saw her sneak into the restaurant."

"Why would she do that?"

"She loves that place just as much as we do, Tiana. You saw how she was when that health inspector closed the restaurant." He was still fuming about that incident. Next time he saw that man, he promised would teach him a lesson.

"Maybe you're right. You go to the pier and find Lou. I'll call Lotte to see if she really did sneak out without us knowing." Tiana ordered. "And hurry. I don't want Ray to worry."

Naveen nodded before running out of the apartment. The last thing they wanted was for Ray to find out his sister was missing. Ray was really close to Evangeline. When she left to hang out with her Lydia, he was always in a sour mood. He would usually perk up as soon as she returned home. If he were to found out that Evangeline was nowhere to be found...

Tiana ran to the phone and called the LaBouffs, but no one replied. She then called her mother, seeing it was a possibility her daughter could've gone to Eudora's for some comfort. As soon as her mother picked up, she asked, "Mama, is Evangeline with you?"

"Why would she be here with me? Didn't she go home?" Eudora said.

"She came home last night, but she disappeared this morning. We don't know where she is."

"Did you call Charlotte?"

"She wouldn't answer the phone."

"What about Louis?"

"Naveen went to see him." Right on cue, Naveen came back, panting heavily. "Mama, I'll call you back later." Then she hung up the phone.

As soon as he caught his breath, Naveen said, "Louis wasn't by the pier."

"What?" Tiana cried in disbelief. "Where would he go?"

"Maybe he's with Evangeline?"

"But where _is _she?"

"Mommy," a small voice came from behind the couple. "Mommy, what's going on?"

Tiana immediately ran to her son. "Nothing's wrong, Ray." she said, embracing her son. "Nothing is wrong. I'm sorry I woke you. Go back to your room. I'll call you when breakfast is ready."

"Where's Eva?"

Tiana turned stiff. She looked up to her husband for assistance. "Uh, Eva's asleep," he answered. "She was working real hard last night, so we let her sleep in." The little boy yawned. Naveen picked up his son. "I'll take you back to bed, buddy." Ray was too tired to reject his father as took him back to his room. Before they disappeared, Naveen gave his wife a distraught look. Tiana gave him a sad look, also.

Tiana went to the kitchen and fell into a chair. She put her hands over her face.

_What are we going to do?_

* * *

In the morning, Louis and Virgil woke up to see Evangeline had already prepared for their journey. While they were asleep, Evangeline woke up at dawn and made a raft consisted of a bunch of sticks, leaves, and mud tied together with cattails. It turned out to be a pretty sturdy raft even though it was made of twigs and mud, and it stayed together when Evangeline stood on top of it.

"Great, the princess created a raft," Virgil said with sarcasm. "You couldn't have made us breakfast or something?"

"I'm not making breafast for any of you," Evangeline said ignoring his snarky tone. "You're a frog; you can forge for flies or something. And stop calling me Princess!"

"Ew!" Virgil grimaced at the thought. "I'm not going to look for flies! Even though I'm a frog, I still have my dignity!"

Evangeline shrugged. "I guess you'll starve then."

"What about me, Eva?" Louis griped. "I haven't been in the Bayou in years. Can't you at least salvage somethin' for me?"

She sighed, heavily. She knew if she didn't feed that gator, he would gripe about it for the rest of the day. "Fine." She gave him an apple she packed in her knapsack.

"Oh, so you'll feed the big ole' gator, but not me. I see how it is, _Princess_." Virgil hopped onto a nearby lillypad.

"Now where are you going?" Evangeline inquired.

"We're not leaving until I get something to eat." he said. Even though his identity was feign, he still acting as high and mighty as any average prince (except for her Uncle Lucas, of course).

He hopped from lillypad to lillypad until he was on another tree. Fortunately, the tree he landed on was next to a little shrub decorated with juicy blueberries. This would be a more satisfying meal than bugs. Instead of jumping down to pluck off the shrub, Virgil thought it would be a good idea to try using his tongue. Ever since he turned into a frog, he had never tried testing his froggy abilities, much less his grimy tongue. Trying it on static targets like berries could be good practicing, when he was actually desperate enough to catch flies.

Instinctively, his tongue shot our of his mouth towards the closest berry, but it nearly missed. He didn't have a firm girp on the tree, so he also went flying and hit the branch. Evangeline and Louis laughed at his failure. "Hey! I'm just getting the hang of this frog thing," Virgil shouted at them. "Forget this. It's easier just picking 'em." When he reached for a berry, it suddenly disappeared. "The hell...?" He reached for another one, but it also disappeared. He tried again and again, but soon, there was only one berry left on the shrub. "You're not getting away from me this time!" This time, he was close enough to snatch it before this mystery thief could, but once again, he was too slow. "Damn it! Who keeps doing that!"

"Maybe it's karma," Evangeline clarified. "For lying."

"Well, karma's a bitch," the frog mumbled. The bushes shook violently, making Virgil topple onto the ground. "AH!" He rubbed his head and prepared to cuss out whoever made him fall, until he saw a striped tail protrude from the shrub. An evil look grew on his face. He snuck his way over to the swaying tail. When he was close enough, he jumped at the striped brush and held on as tight as he could. "GOTCHA!"

A raccoon popped out of the bushes struggling to get the frog off of its tail. Its mouth was stuffed with the berries Virgil was trying to obtain. It soon spit them when the frog yanked its tail, and it began to whine in pain while running around the swampy plain, frantically. Evangeline and Louis continued to watch from afar as the two were still at it, and they were both eventually bored with it. They didn't know how much longer this was going to take, but this had to end fast if they wanted Virgil back to his human self.

It wasn't long before the raccoon was also getting tired of this routine. If it couldn't get the irate amphibian off of its tail, it was going to have to try another way. Strategically, it climbed up a tree and swung its tail against the trunk. Virgil became disoriented, but his grip was still firm. Several more times and the frog finally let go, plummeting to the ground, and landing with a hard _thump_. "Virgil!" Evangeline cried. She ran up to the injured frog and picked him up, tenderly. "Are you okay?"

Rubbing the bump on his head, he answered sourly, "What the hell do you think? That _beast _stole my berries _and_ hit me against a tree!" He jumped from her hands, shaking an indignant fist at the masked thief. "Don't think just because you're a raccoon that I can't get to you!" The raccoon stuck out its tongue, making the angry frog completely enraged.

"Leave that poor critter alone, Virgil," Evangeline scolded him. "Do you want your old body back or not?"

Disgruntled, Virgil shook his fist one last time before hopping along with his companions. The raccoon looked at the group a bit puzzled before also following them covertly.

* * *

Aurorette groaned as she made her way through the murky swamp. "I can't believe we grew up in this... ew!" She rushed out of the swamp onto dry land. "Aw! These were my favorite boots, too!" She grunted an exasperated sigh as she tried to conjure up one of her _Friends_. It was broad daylight, but under the shade of the trees, she was only able to call one of the redoubtable shadows. "Did you find them?" she asked when it finally arose. It shook its head, deadpan.

She shouted in frustration. This job was taking too long. She didn't understand why they couldn't just kill the girl so they could bring back Nicolas faster. But _noooo_, they always had to do it Selene's way or no way.

"Get me my sister." The shadow nodded once again and swirled into a window that showed Aurorette the Voodoo Emporium where her sister was preparing for their Mardi Gras "celebration". "Selene," she called to her sister. The older woman continued to set up, not taking notice of her sister. "Selene!"

"Ah!" Selene jumped at the sound of her sister's shrewd voice. "Damn it, Aurorette! I'm right here! Why'd you yell like?"

"You didn't respond."

Selene rolled her eyes. "Whatever. What do you need?"

"Our _Friends _still haven't found the girl."

"What! What the hell are you doing out there!"

"_Me?_" Aurorette hated her sister so much sometimes. "How is any of this _my_ fault? You know the shadows can't travel as fast in broad daylight. Not even the shade under the trees will get them there any quicker!"

"Perhaps you're right." Selene began to meditate. This job was beginning to take more effort than she thought it would. "At least get to Mama Odie's before they do," she advised. "If they get there first, they're practically invincible."

"Invincible? Being protected by that old hag?"

"Do not underestimate that 'old hag', Aurorette. She's capable of many things beyond our power."

The younger sister shivered at the sound of her sister's eerie voice and nodded. "Fine." Aurorette closed the magical window before her sister began giving her more infuriating orders again. She whistled for her companion. "Come on, you heard her! Find that boathouse before that girl and those animals do!"

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we-"

"No."

"Are-"

"I swear Virgil, if you don't shut up..."

"Fine." The frog said with a heavy sigh.

Evangeline was just about ready to push that green sag of lazy off of her raft. They had been traveling for hours and made little successfinding Mama Odie. Since Louis was leading the way, Evangeline tied a rope around the gator's tail and connected it to her raft so she wouldn't have to row it all the way there. Louis was quiet most of the time (which was a huge shock), but maybe it was because Virgil wouldn't stop griping. He was riding with Evangeline on the sturdy raft claiming he was too tired to continue hopping around. He eventually had gotten something to eat, but he wouldn't stop complaining about it. Evangeline was about ready to explode.

It was getting late, so the group decided to stop. "Why do we need to stop?" Virgil inquired. "We won't get there in time if we do."

"It's late, Virgil," she told him. "And we have no idea where we're going. We're all tired, but we're not griping about like you are. So shut your trap or I'll chop off all of your legs and cook 'em for dinner!"

"Whatever you say, _Princess_."

"I told you to stop calling me that!"

"What else am I gonna call you?"

"I don't know? _Evangeline?_ 'Cause that's my name!"

"Okay, you guys," Louis said calmly. "Let's all just relax."

"Fine, I'll stop calling you Princess... _Angel_."

Evangeline was about to scope up and struggle the little frog, until another voice cried out, "You folks need help?" The three looked around. They couldn't see anybody. "Up here!" They all looked up to see a speck of light. The speck flew closer to them, revealing its true form.

"A firefly?" Virgil said. "I know don't know about y'all, but I'm getting pretty sick of these surprises."

"Shut up, you." Evangeline said.

"It's cousin Mimi!" Louis said.

"Who?" the other two asked bewildered.

"Hey there, Lou! Didn't think you'd come back to this neck of the woods." The little firefly greeted. "Who're your friends?"

"This is Virgil, a prince," Louis said pointing to the dumbfounded frog. "And this is Evangeline."

"Evangeline!" Mimi flew up to the girl. "Wow, Ray was right. She's much more beautiful up close." The girl was flustered by the compliment. The little firefly whistled and soon, the group was surrounded by lights. It was a sight; Evangeline had never seen so many fireflies in her life. "Hey y'all! Evangeline's here!"

The fireflies hollered with joy. "Ray's Evangeline?"

"It's a miracle!"

"What?" Evangeline was confused, to say the least. She seemed to have a stellar reputation among these illuminated bugs, but she had no clue who they were. How did they know who she was? "I think you folks are mistaken."

"No, no, you little bugs got it all wrong," Louis said. "This is Evangeline, Tiana and Naveen's daughter."

That made the crowd rowdier. Apparently her parents were also very popular.

"Now I'm really confused."

"I don't get it. Who're Tiana and Naveen?" asked Virgil.

"They're legends!" said Mimi. "They done helped bring Evangeline and Ray together!" She then pointed to the Evening Star and her companion.

"Evangeline and Ray..." Evangeline mumbled. Her parents had told her the story of the Evening Star and her partner, Ray. They also worked very hard to be together, and it was hard because they had been separated for a long time. When they were united, they outshone all of the other stars out there. Her parents told her they named her after the Evening Star and Ray Ray was named after the star right next to her, Raymond. She didn't know if those stars were significant in any way, but they seemed to have purpose now.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Virgil said. "They're just stars-"

"This calls for a celebration!" one fo the fireflies shouted. They all cheered.

Soon, music started playing and all of the lightning bugs began doing a jig. Some danced in pairs and others just moved to the rhythm of the beat. Evangeline was still confused about a lot of things, like why were her parents so well-known among these fireflies, but she couldn't help but get into the music. She loved dancing, and these guys seemed to like music and dancing just as much as she did. She was tired of being so serious; she was going to have some fun before this journey was over.

Virgil watched as Evangeline joined the fireflies' jamboree. It was like the music made her drunk. Even the gator joined in, playing a trumpet (he had no clue where that came from). He hadn't seen her smile in a while, part of which was his fault, but he didn't know she could become so happy-go-lucky in a matter of seconds. She twirled around merrily and a few fireflies flew around her. They were having so much fun. In fact, they looked like they were enjoying themselves so much, the pleasure was becoming contagious. No, he reminded himself, they had someplace to be and they were wasting precious time playing around.

"Come on, Virgil!" Evangeline called to him. "Join the fun!"

"No thanks," he replied quickly. "You probably haven't noticed, but we have somewhere to be!"

Evangeline snouted. "Don't be a party pooper. Join us."

The frog sat still. "I don't know..."

"Come on!" Before he could protest, Evangeline grabbed the frog and placed him on a lillypad. The fireflies joined together, covered Evangeline's attire, and glowed to make it look like she was wearing a shimmering gold gown.

"Whoa," Virgil marveled. She looked so radiant in the spotlight.

Evangeline smiled at him.

They continued to goof off and dance like there was no tomorrow. Virgil never had so much fun in his life. Evangeline stopped dancing for a moment to watch the frog. He was an amazing dancer, surprisingly. It looked like he was having a blast, and she was glad to see a smile on his face for once instead of complaining.

After a while, the music stopped and everyone cheered. Virgil fell back on the ground, tired out and laughing. "That was great! I've never had so much fun."

Evangeline looked at him quizzically. "Really?"

"Yeah, well, when you grow up with practically no living expenses-I mean, when you have all the luxuries you can buy," Evangeline rolled her eyes as he lied in front of the fireflies. "and you're alone, it's really hard to have fun..."

"Virgil..."

Evangeline didn't know how to comfort him. She didn't know what it was like to be alone. She grew up with lots of love and people who cared about her. Virgil... well, she didn't know enough about Virgil to actually judge him. All she knew was that he had a hard life.

"I think we better go-AH!" Evangeline shrieked when something grabbed her shadow and dragged her away. "Virgil! Lou! Help me!"

"Evangeline!"

"_Angel!_"

* * *

**_R&R!_**


	11. The Voodoo Queen

**~The Voodoo Queen~**

Virgil hopped as fast as he could as Evangeline-or rather her shadow-was being dragged by some mystical being. It was the witches; the witches had come, but they weren't after him this time. They were after her. They wanted her for some reason. If only he could figure out why.

None of this thinking was helping. It wasn't getting Virgil any closer to Evangeline, and it definitely wasn't stopping that monster from getting away with her. Louis wasn't any faster, but how could they stop a shadow, anyway?

"Virgil! Louis!" She kept calling out to them, but it was no use. They weren't as fast as this demonic shadow beast. She had no idea where it was taking her, but she was sure it wasn't any place good. "Please! Someone help me!"

"Hang on, Evangeline!" The girl stopped her struggling when she heard that tiny voice. Mimi the firefly came to her rescue and flashed her light at the beast. It immediately disintegrated into nothing. Evangeline fell to the ground, but she was unscathed.

She breathed out a relieved sigh. "Thanks, Mimi."

"Anytime!"

"Angel!" The two turned to see the frog and the gator running towards them. "Hey, where'd that thing go?" Virgil asked. He was relieved (not that he would ever admit that) Evangeline was safe, but he was still curious as to what happened to the shadow that snatched her up.

"Mimi used her light to destroy it."

"Well let's get out of here before more come!" Louis said before running ahead of the others.

After a few yards of running (with the exception of Mimi who was flying), they stopped to rest. "Do you think we got away?" Virgil asked.

"Don't worry," Mimi said. "My relationals'll deal with those shadow monsters!"

"You little guys are too good to me," Evangeline said. "I barely know any of you and you still saved my life."

"It's an honor to protect Tiana and Naveen's daughter!"

"I'm still confused," Virgil said. "Who are Tiana and Nav-ah! Forget! We don't have time for this! We have to run-"

A eerie rumbled erupted, cutting off the fraud prince completely. Everyone looked at the coy gator, who was blushing terriblely. "I guess... I'm a little hungry."

"We don't have to time to stop and eat! Those shadows-!" Virgil's stomach also roared with hunger. He looked away uncomfortably.

"I guess we're all hungry," Evangeline said.

"It's too bad we have nothing to eat." This time, the frog did not see any fruit bushes or even a scrape of food. Even the bugs were absent, except for Mimi, but he couldn't eat her; even though he barely knew her, he didn't want to eat her for three reasons:

1. She was still a bug.

2. Eating bugs was gross.

3. She could protect them from the shadows with her glowing... butt.

Surely Evangeline still had some fruit she could spare. "Uh, Angel...?"

"No, I have nothing to spare," she said. "We're just going to have to look for something to eat ourselves."

"But, those shadows could come back any minute," Louis said, quivering. "You might get snatched up again if we put our guard down."

"Hm. Perhaps you're right."

"Then I'll stay here," Virgil offered. He was lying against a stone and put his hands behind his head, laidback. "and you know, watch out for anymore of those shadow things. It's the manly thing to do; no one has to worry while I'm here protecting y'all."

Evangeline rolled her eyes. "The only one who's capable of protecting us is Mimi. How are you supposed to produce a light?"

Virgil grunted something incoherent and continued to lie against the rock.

"I'll stay too!" Louis claimed which didn't surprise anyone.

Evangeline shook her head. Some men. "I guess we're the providers, Mimi. Let's make this quick."

The little firefly nodded. "On it, _chère_!"

"Let's see," the young woman mumbled to herself. "What do you see that looks edible, Eva?" She saw a few mushrooms by a tree. They didn't look poisonous and there was nothing else she could see that was palatable. She reached for them, but then they vanished within a milisecond. "What the...? How did that happen?" Then she saw the striped tail. She smiled. Their masked friend was back. When she tickled its tail, it immediately shot out of the bushes and ran up the tree, dropping all of the mushrooms.

"It's just a lil' raccoon," Mimi said. "Lil' guy's probably starved."

"It must be the same raccoon." Evangeline picked up a handful of the mushrooms and held one up to the raccoon. "Come on, little guy," she tried to coax him. "I'm not going to hurt you. Consider this an apology for what that grumpy little frog did to you." The raccoon looked from Evangeline to the mushroom curiously before leaping on her shoulders and nipping the mushroom from her hands. He licked his paws before nuzzling her cheek. "Aw, you're actually really cute. How about you help me scavage a few things for dinner." The raccoon nodded before scampering off.

A few minutes later, the three went back to the Virgil and Louis. However, the frog was not very pleased to see who was with them. "You again!" Virgil cried when he saw his foe hanging on the girl's shoulders like a stole.

The raccoon snarled at the little frog. "Virgil, be nice," Evangeline chastised the frog. "The poor thing was just hungry, is all. He's actually really friendly."

"Friendly, my ass!"

Evangeline rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her ankle. Or rather, her shadow's ankle. "AH!"

"Not again!" Virgil began to sprint forward, but then another one grabbed him. There was more than one shadow this time, and he didn't think Mimi's light could wipe them all out. He was about to give up all hope, until a flash destroyed this shadow, releasing Evangeline once again. "Whoa. Nice move, Mimi."

"That wasn't me, Cap."

Another figure began walking towards them. It was an extremely eerie sight; Virgil thought it was another shadow, but it was too misty to tell. But out came a very elderly woman in white robes, a headdress, and sunglasses. She was holding a club that was lit on fire, swinging it around her finger by an attached ring. She blew out the light and stopped in front of the group. Then she smiled, which totally caught Evangeline and Virgil off guard. "Y'all in a bit of a pickle, ain't cha? Ha ha!"

"Mama Odie!"

* * *

The stories of Mama Odie were not just stories, Evangeline thought. In fact, this woman was exactly what she pictured in her mind: very, very, _very_ old, blind, and wiser than most. She also lived in that same boat house. However, Evangeline did not expect to a see a boat entangled in a mess of branches in a tree. It seemed really impossible, but voodoo magic also seemed really impossible a few days ago and now she was in the Bayou looking for the one source of pure magic. Anything was possible.

Mama Odie was really thrilled to meet her, she thought, but that would be an underestimate. When they were settled in the boat treehouse, the elderly woman hugged all of the air out of her lungs. "I never thought I'd see the day," she said. "The hop-alongs had two tadpoles and didn't say anything to Mama!"

The young woman didn't know what to say, mostly because she was suffocating from this woman's remarkably strong hug. When the woman finally released her, she gasped. "I'm sorry, Mama Odie. I don't believe we've met."

"Of course we ain't met before!" the young exclaimed. "But I know who you are. And little Ray Ray."

"Y-You do?" Now that was uncanny.

"Good to see you, Jabber Jaws!" The elderly woman suddenly ignored the young woman, which annoyed Evangeline. Her parents were also right when they said she could be very aggravating times. But if she could help them, she had no problem with her short attention span. "How's that dream of yours!"

"Great!" Louis said. "I play at _Tiana's Palace_ every night!"

"So the hop-alongs finally got that restaurant, did they?" Mama Odie walked up to her chair. She abruptly stopped and called out, "Juju!" A yellow snake casually came out of its covert and slithered to its master. "Give your mama some sugar!" The witchdoctor grabbed hold of the snake and kissed it, tongues and all. Needless to say, the group was utterly disgusted.

"This lady's wack!" Virgil exclaimed.

"I think I've gone blind!" Louis cried, covering up his eyes. Evangeline did the same. She wished most of the things her parents had told her weren't true.

Mimi seemed to be the only one not fazed by it, which the rest of the group found disturbing.

Once the voodoo priestess stopped kissing the snake, she stretched it out into a walking stick as she made her way to her chair. Once she was seated, she turned her attention back to Evangeline. "So what brings you here, child?"

"Him." She pointed to the frog thrown in disarray.

"So, you got yourselves another hop-along." Mama Odie laughed. "Your family never learns, do they?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Your parents came to me with the same problem. Those two hop-along had a lot to learn."

"My parents?" She finally understood. Those stories her parents had told her when she was a little girl were true. And those frogs in the story were her parents. That meant that Ray (the one from the story) did exist and Evangeline the Evening Star really was his lover. And Louis... he knew the whole time!

Louis could feel her glaring daggers at him. _She figured it out_, he thought in fear.

"Okay," Virgil said. "someone better start explaining what's going on because I'm tired of being in the dark!"

Mimi just shrugged. She had no clue either, but she knew Mama Odie would explain everything for them.

Mama Odie suddenly jumped out of her seat and walked up to Evangeline. She studied her up and down, and at other angles. For a blind woman, Evangeline observed, she was very perceptive. All of a sudden, the blind woman laughed. "Yep! You're a special one, child! I knew I liked something 'bout you! You have magical potential in you. Even after your parents turned back human, you were still affected by the magic. That's why you can understand what all the lil' critters say."

"Really?"

_That sure does explain a lot_, Evangeline thought.

"So, Angel has powers?" The old woman clarified this with a nod. "Does that mean she can turn me back into a human?" Virgil insisted.

"'Course not!" Mama Odie's cry startled the frog. "Now, did you two figure out what you need?"

"Oh no," Louis groaned.

"What I _need_ is to get back to normal," Virgil answered.

"Yeah," Evangeline agreed.

"WRONG!" The frog fell back against her snake and it quickly recoiled back. "Dig a little deeper, deary."

"Dig a little deeper for what?" Virgil had no idea where this was going, but this woman was not proving to be very helpful to their cause. "You're crazy! All I want is-"

"Listen to your mama, child!" Mama Odie whacked him in the bad of the head.

"OW! You crazy ole'-"

"You two need to stop worrying about what's happening around you and look at what's in front of you." She had the two face each other. For a moment, Virgil could see a sparkle in Evangeline's dazzling chocolate-brown orbs. It was a sight; he couldn't believe he'd never noticed it before. She was... beautiful. And she had been so nice to him through this whole trip; he was surprised she hadn't ditched him. Why now did he just notice these things?

"Now!" Mama Odie suddenly interrupted his thoughts. "Y'all wanted the answer to your problem. Follow Mama." The Voodoo Queen led them to a tub filled with gumbo.

"What's with the tub of goo?"

"Hush up and look at the gumbo!" The elderly woman scolded him. Then she said a chant:

_**Gumbo, gumbo in the pot,**_

_**We need a princess,**_

_**WHAT YOU GOT?**_

An image slowly appeared in the gumbo. _Tiana's Palace_ slowly came into view along with a group of people. "My parents!" Evangeline said. "And Uncle Lucas. They've been looking for me this whole time. I've made them worried sick." The police were interrogating her parents about her whereabouts, which made her feel even more guilty.

"_... We'll do our best to find your daughter, sir,_" the police officer said.

"_Thank you,_" her father replied. As soon as the policemen left, Naveen sighed irately and turned to his wife. "_This is turning into a disaster._"

"_You're telling me!_" Lucas exclaimed. "_I don't think these policemen know what they're doing. My niece has been missing for two days and there's no trace of her anywhere! I'm not leaving this country until I know she's safe!_"

"_Now you two need to calm down,_" Tiana tried to console the two brothers. "_I'm sure Evangeline will show up by tomorrow. She wouldn't dare miss Mardi Gras._" She cupped her husband's cheek and gave him a reassuring yet sad smile. "_Now, buck up! I don't want see that frown on your face during the Mardi Gras parade. We're the royal family this year, and we have to look proud._"

"Royal family...?" The young woman had almost forgotton her father was the runner-up for the title "King of the Mardi Gras parade". He must've won that privilege. "If Daddy's the king of the Mardi Gras parade, that would make me..."

"... a princess." Virgil finished.

"Yep. Only true love's kiss will break the spell."

"Now hold on!" Evangeline finally cracked. Virgil and Louis winced, fearing what the enraged girl could possibly do to the old, feeble woman. "I've been stuck with this little nuisance-who I'd just met on my 18th birthday-for days because he wanted me to kiss him so he could turn back into a human, and we've been avoiding magical obstacles and aimlessly walking through this swampy wasteland to get to _you_ because Louis said you could help us! And now you're telling me that I actually have to _kiss_ him just so he can be human again and get out of my life _for good_!"

"... Yep." Mama Odie replied with casuality. "But it'll only work tomorrow, by midnight, or the kiss will not work. Too bad you're not a prince, Hop-along."

"Hey! I resent that!" Virgil argued.

"Well, I'm still not going to kiss you, even if I wasn't the Mardi Gras Princess." Evangeline declared. "Don't you have any other solutions?"

"Nope. Now," Mama Odie began to push the group to the door. "you folks best be on your way, and remember to remember what's important."

"Wait! How are we going to get back to town?" Virgil asked. "If we walk, it'll be too late!" Evangeline sighed. Even though she already disagreed with it, everybody was ignoring her.

Louis held a sly grin. "I have an idea."

"WAIT!" Everyone stared at Mimi. "Cap's not a prince?"

Everyone facepalmed. "Oh, Mimi..."

* * *

_**R&R! And vote the poll!**_


	12. The Epiphany

I was hoping to finish this story on the day of Mardi Gras. Oh well, this chapter was only really meant for Mardi Gras, anyway, and I really doubted I would finish before the week was over. I've always dreamed of going to New Orleans to see the parade; it's so cool!

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**~The Epiphany~**

Louis's idea was not as outrageous as everyone thought it would be. They stowed away on a steamboat, which happened to be heading towards the port to New Orleans. At this rate, they would get there by the afternoon.

_Firefly 5_ (minus Louis at the moment) was already on board, so the gator left the gang to practice with the band. Mimi went with him to see the band play, and the raccoon scurried off after her, leaving Evangeline and the frog alone.

"Who knew," Virgil started. "that that gator actually has great ideas?"

"Well, Lou can be resourceful at times," Evangeline said. She glanced around the sailing vessel in awe. "This is incredible. I've never been on a steamboat before."

"Really?" She nodded. "I guess I'm not the only one missing out on the finer things in life. Come on, Angel. I'll show you around."

"What do you know about steamboats?"

"My dad used to sail these babies around." Virgil's expression turned a bit soft as he reminisced about his past. "He'd bring me with him and let me go around wherever I want when I was lil', just as long as I stayed on the ship."

Evangeline grinned at the frog. "Well then, I'd be happy if you'd give me a tour around then."

Virgil showed her the quirks of being on a steamboat. They watched as Louis and the band played their hearts out. Mimi and the raccoon were among the crowd, but they were out of sight. Then Virgil showed her where they steered, where they danced, dined, eveything. When the tour was over, they were lounging on the top of the steamboat, enjoying the view of the sky. Even though it was still light outside, it was still a gorgeous day.

"Wow, Virg. I didn't know a steamboat could be so exciting!" Evangeline said animatedly.

"Virg?" The frog looked at her dubiously.

"What? I can't give you a nickname?"

"Well... it's kinda weird. You usually insult me, or call me bad names, or-"

"Okay, okay. I get it." she snapped at him. "I'm not necessarily the nicest person on the planet."

"Yeah, I kinda fingured that," Virgil said. She frowned at him. "But people see you a lot differently. Everybody's always talking about you like you're so... _perfect_: you're so nice, you're descended from a royal line, and that boyfriend of yours... you've basically had everything handed to you."

"I'm not perfect." She propped her elbows on her knees and cupped her face. "I may seem that way, but trust me, I had to work real had to get everybody's respect and I'm as _imperfect_ as the next guy. I'm cranky in the mornings, and I'm very meticulous." Virgil pretended he knew what that meant. "Heck, I've never even had a boyfriend! And there are people who still talk about me behind my back, like how I'm mixed because my mother's black and my father's Maldonian. The girls at my school openly point it out, too. Even Thomas used to do it."

"Who?" he inquired with a very curious tone. He clearly didn't like this Thomas guy.

"You know, that 'boyfriend of mine.' He's just some crush, but I highly doubt that he even likes me in _that_ way. He's such a player. I wouldn't be surprised if those rumors of his philandering ways are true." She sighed deeply. "I'm lucky to have a friend like Lydia who's helped me through those troubling times."

Virgil nodded indulgently. He was also lucky to have a friend that help him through troubled times, like his best friend Maurice. He hadn't been the most appreciative friend to him, though. "Yeah, friends like those... they need to be cherished, otherwise, what kind of future could you have..."

"You could have a bright future ahead of you, Virg. Maybe not now because..." She gestured at his froggy form. "If you'd apply yourself more and use that musical potential you have, like dancing, I bet you could've been able to do more than hussle people on the streets."

"I never really thought about that. I'm also not used to compliments." Evangeline laughed. "Huh, I guess we do have a few things in common, Angel."

She grinned at that. "I guess we do. By the way, why do you call me Angel? Is it out of irony or is there some other reason that I can't even fathom?"

Vigirl shrugged. "Well, you can't spell Evangeline without Angel," he said as a matter of fact. She had to give him credit; that was clever. "Also... you're the first girl who's never walked away from me." By the look on her face, he knew he now had her full attention. "When I asked for your help, you didn't walk away or kick me out. When I was human, if I even looked at a girl, they wouldn't give me the time of day. Compared to them, you're a true angel."

Pure empathy and gratitude was written all over her face. "Thanks, Virg. I'm glad I met you. When we get home, I hope we can be friends."

Now discontentment and confusion was written on his face. "_Friends_? But you have to kiss me so I can be human-"

"I know, Virgil, but... I don't love you." Ouch. Now that hurt. She didn't love him? Why not? What's not to love? "Don't get me wrong, I like you, but not in that way. If I kiss you, it won't mean anything to me."

"It'll mean something to me!" he exclaimed. "It'll mean _a lot_ to me!"

"I know it'll mean a lot to you. You'll be human again, but I just can't..."

_It's means more to me than that_, Virgil thought, and he was very hurt that she couldn't think of him more than just a friend. "So that's just it? You won't kiss me at all?"

"Don't put me in this position, Virg. I have enough to deal with." She looked up at the sky, which was already starting to lose its blue hue. "It's getting late; we're just about get back to New Orleans." Evangeline stood from her spot and smoothed out her dress. "Let's collect the others."

"You go ahead," Virgil insisted. "I'll catch up with y'all later."

She looked at the frog indecisively, and then left.

Virgil sighed deeply. His feelings were so jumbled up. At first, he thought Evangeline was a real bitch, now... now, she had never looked so sexy. Her eyes were so sensual, and they caught his attention the most. She was also very comical when she wasn't such a stick-in-the-mud. And she was very generous, selfless...

However, he didn't understand was why she was being so difficult. All she had to do was kiss him; it wasn't like they would go all out. One small, chaste peck, probably on the cheek, it didn't even matter. And now it turned out she didn't even have feelings for him. Don't get him wrong, he was glad she didn't hate him anymore, but how was "being just friends" going to work if he stayed a frog for the rest of his life? Would she really gain any other feelings for him if he ever remained what he was? He didn't want to pressure her into doing something she didn't want to, though.

"AH! This is so damn irritating!" He held his face in his webbed hands.

_What are you doing to me, Angel?_

* * *

"Sis, we didn't get them," Aurorette hung her head low, guiltily. Their _Friends_ held firm on the wall, but they weren't as guilty as Aurorette looked. In fact, they were infuriated by the little firefly assault that happened to them the night before. The sisters were going to have to pay for those losses, too, but that was the least of their problems. "They're going back to New Orleans. That's still good, right? We can get to the girl easily this way."

"I suppose so," Selene said, as if she wasn't mad about this information. "But now she knows!" She knocked over the a nearby table, crossly. "Now she knows she has magical potential!"

"But she doesn't even know if she can use her powers. Hell, she doesn't even know we're after her soul! _And_ she has nothing to protect herself with."

"Well, that doesn't really matter, does it?" she snapped. "As long as she has the power, she'll be able to learn how to use it eventually."

Aurorette persisted her apologies, but Selene ignored her sister as she observed a 3D scale model of a steamboat. She heard Evangeline and Virgil's conversation on top of the steamboat's platform. She also saw the look on the little inept frog's face. He had feelings for the girl; maybe this could work to their advantage.

She turned her attention back to her sister. "Forget it Aurorette. We don't need to track her down anymore."

"W-What?" Aurorette gawked at her sister. She was always so unpredictable. "What are you saying, Sis?"

Selene held a wicked smile. "Looks like our little froggy friend is very useful to us after all..."

* * *

When the steamboat had finally stopped, everybody met up at the side of the boat on the port. Virgil was the last to show up, but when they saw the downtrodden look on his face, no one said anything about it. Evangeline was especially ignoring him because of the conversation they had on top of the boat.

She hated how he was making her feel so bad about her decision. She couldn't kiss somebody she didn't love, especially a frog. She loved frogs, but not in that way.

_I like you, but not in that way._

Not that she thought about it, she did sound a little harsh. It was just one kiss. No harm would be done, right?

"-va! Eva!"

"Huh?" She broke out of her thoughts when Louis's shouts finally came through. "What is it, Lou?"

"I was sayin' we should get back home. Tiana and Naveen are still waiting for us."

"Oh, right." She turned to her other friends. "You guys can come with us if you want."

Mimi and the raccoon happily obliged. Virgil was the only who didn't say anything, but he didn't deny the offer. Evangeline continued to say nothing to him and walked away. Everybody else began to notice the tension between the two, but they continued not to pry.

As soon as they were near the restaurant, Evangeline could see a hoard of people gathered around what looked like a parade float. She ran up closer to see, forgetting about her friends behind her. Once she was close enough, she was finally about to see what the float's exterior. It looked extremely regal. The float itself was red and gold and on top was a stand for the royal family. Behind it was a crown which had a throne underneath for the king. This float was definitely for the Royal Family of the Mardi Gras parade. It was quite a marvel. At the edge of the float, Evangeline immediately recognized her parents and her uncle among the crowd of people. "Mama!" she called. "Daddy!"

The crowd was nice enough to move out of her way so she could get to her family. "Mama! Daddy! Uncle Lucas!" She was finally able to catch their attention.

Naveen, Tiana, and the crowned prince of Maldonia stopped what they were doing and turned to the young woman who's been MIA for the past two days. Their eyes were the size of dinner plates as they took in her appearance. "_Evangeline_!" they all cried together. They ran and embraced the girl in a tight group hug. They were all asking many questions at the same time, mainly concerned about her condition.

"Never do that to us again." Tiana said finally.

"Yes, you scared us all to death and back!" Naveen exclaimed. He cupped her daughter's face. "If anything were to happen to you, I don't know what I would do." There were tears streaming from his eyes. He hugged her again and she complied, hugging him tighter than before. Evangeline really hated making the people close to her upset; it brought immense pain to her heart. Seeing the tears in her father's eyes was excruciating.

"I'm so sorry," she cried into her father's chest. "I'm so, so sorry. I was just trying to help the restaurant."

"Oh _prutta_," Naveen released her and held her delicate face again. "You don't to worry about _Tiana's Palace_. No health inspector can close that place down."

"That's right!" Tiana said. "And even if the restaurant closes down, we're still a family. You and Ray are more important than all the _Tiana's Palace_s that could open up across the world."

"And we can't have a Mardi Gras parade without the princess herself!" Lucas said.

More tears of happiness began to shed from Evangeline's eyes. "Thank you." She hugged her parents and her uncle again. Then she realized they were surrounded by a crowd.

Her family faced the crowd and Naveen shouted, "The Royal Family is reunited! Let the parade commence!"

Everyone cheered and immediately began to prepare for the celebration.

Meanwhile, Virgil and the gang watched as Evangeline reunited with her family. It was a touching moment. However, it was making the frog very uncomfortable and more somber than he was before. She looked so happy with her family, and when she mentioned the restaurant... he had never felt more guilty in his life. He continued to watch her as her family led her into their apartment. The others watched him dolefully. They knew why he was sad now. And they had a plan.

"Well," Louis said. "I'd best be going. I have to get with the band so we can get ready for the parade."

"Hey, Lou," Virgil said. "Thanks for your help. You're alright."

He smiled. "Yeah, so are you, Virg. Good luck." And then he left.

"I'm going to see _chère _off," Mimi announced. And then she flew away, leaving the two rivals.

"So, I'm guessing you're going to have to go back to the Bayou, huh, _beast_?"

"My name is Bruce, ass."

Virgil's mouth went agape as he stared at the raccoon. "Did... Did you just... _talk_?"

"What, so you're just going to automatically assume that just because I haven't said a single word to anyone in the past few days I'm incapable of communicating with anyone? Are all frogs ignorant, or is it just you? And by the way, I come to New Orleans every year to see the parade. I'm not as much of a 'beast' as you think I am."

Virgil scowled at him. He liked it better when the vermin kept its mouth shut. "I didn't used to be a frog. I was a man."

"A man without any decent morals from what I see," the raccoon said while studying his claws. "I swear, you humans are all alike: clueless."

"What?" Virgil growled.

"You love Evangeline."

"..."

"Stop pretending, idiot. It's incredibly obvious. Well, not to you two oblivious lovebirds, but it's very obvious to the rest of us. Go to her and confess before it's too late. She won't wait for you, you know, and if you two try to come to an understanding, it could work out in the end."

"Don't you think I know that!" the frog cried. "We did try to reach an understanding. On the steamboat, we talked, we laughed... It turns out we have so many things in common, and yet we're so different. We're just two different people from two different worlds." He didn't know why he was coming clean with the raccoon. He hated Bruce, but he seemed like the kind of animal that listened. He hadn't left or fallen asleep yet. He didn't even look bored, so he continued, "She told me she doesn't love me. She _won't_ love me and she _never_ will. So what the hell's the point in trying? I don't want to force her into doing something she doesn't want to and she obviously doesn't want to kiss _this_!" He gestured to himself. "I might as well go back to the Bayou and practice catching flies!"

"Then why don't you?" Virgil looked at Bruce quizzically. "If you truly mean what you say, why don't you just go back, run away and live life as a pitiful frog?"

"I...! I don't know. I... I can't leave because... I love her."

The light bulb had finally shone. He finally understood.

_I love her. I love Evangeline._

"I love Angel." He turned to Bruce. "Thanks for that. You're not so bad for an overgrown rat."

The raccoon put on a crocked smile. "And you're not as dumb as you look." He turned to leave.

Virgil began to follow Bruce to Evangeline's place when suddenly, a shadow appeared in front of him. "What the...!" The demonic shadow grabbed for him but he hopped away in time. He didn't have enough time to dodge the shadow's companion. Bruce had run away long ago when he heard the outbursts. "Let go of me, you bastards! HEY!"

"I'd hold still if I were you," a sinister voice said. "Our _Friends_ won't hesitate to kill anything too... _ungainly_."

The frog stopped his struggling. He knew that voice. "_You_...! What the hell do you want?"

"Long time no see, _Prince Virgil_..."

* * *

"Evangeline, you look so beautiful." Tiana complimented her daughter as she brushed her hair. "But wherever you were, it didn't do any favors to your hair."

Evangeline stayed silent as her mother brushed her hair. She couldn't stop thinking about the look on Virgil's face at the port. She'd never seen him look so sad. She knew she caused him to feel that way, but what could she do? She didn't want to kiss him, so he would just have to accept that. Being a frog the rest of your life couldn't be all bad, could it?

The Frog Prince story suddenly came to mind. Her parents were the frogs who were in trouble and they had to work very hard to get up to this point in their lives. But they didn't get turned back until they were married. It was a truly difficult journey for them, but it ended in love and true happiness. To now. Tonight, she was the princess who controlled the fate of the poor unfortunate frog who wasn't exactly a prince, but he had a surreptitious passion inside of him that was indeed regal. Could the same thing that happened to her parents happen to her and Virgil?

She needed advise. She couldn't openly talk about this with her parents or her uncle, but this dilemma was starting to drive her mentally insane. "Mama," Evangeline started.

"Yes?"

"What would you do if someone you care for is in trouble?"

Tiana stopped brushing her daughter's hair and frowned. "What do you mean? Are you in trouble?"

"No, no! It's a general question." She sighed deeply before clarifying her question. "If someone you knew had a problem, someone close, what would you do?"

Her mother sat on her bed and faced her. "Well, I'd do whatever I can to help. If I truly care about this person like I think I do, I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them. Where'd this question come from?"

She shrugged. "I just thought I needed some guidance, is all."

Tiana couldn't read her daughter's face, but she knew that she had a real purpose for asking something like that. It probably had to do with her little escapade, but she didn't want to put a damper on Evangeline's mood. She didn't seem very comfortable talking about that topic when they got home.

The smile returned to her face. "Alright. I'm done with your hair." She set the brush on the dresser. "We'll be waiting for you when you're ready." And then she left her daughter to her thoughts.

"Hey, _chère_!" Mimi flew in from the window. "The stories are true: Your mother is real beaut!"

Evangeline chuckled sightly. "Yeah, she is." She looked in the mirror on her dresser and made sure everything was intact. Everything looked magnificent: her lush hair, her shimmering white gown with green satin hemming, even her shoes looked stately. The only thing missing was her crown, which was on top of the dresser ready for her to adorn on her head. As soon placed it on her head, she looked at herself in the mirror again. It didn't fit. This look didn't fit her. Only someone dignified and honorable should've worn this tiara, she thought. And it wasn't her. "I can't do this."

"Do what _chère_?"

"I can't go on that float! I don't derserve to wear this crown!" She threw it on her bed. "How could I just leave Virgil to willow around in his own sadness like that? I'm such a terrible friend."

"Oh, you're not a terrible friend, _chère_. Just think about what Mama Odie said."

_Stop worrying about what's happening around you and look at what's in front of you._

Virgil was one of a kind. When they first met, he was cheap and basically a bum. But now, she saw him in a new light. He could dance and probably sing, and he was funny. When she rejected him, it twisted her heart to see that gloomy look on his face. But there was more than sorrow behind that look. Disappointment. Yearning.

Love.

_Could he possibly...?_

"Evangeline!" Suddenly, a ball of fur flew out of the window and at the princess. "Evangeline, something has happened!"

She stared at the raccoon. It shouldn't have been a surprise that he was talking, but he hadn't said a word since they met. "What is it?"

"What happened, Bruce?" Mimi said.

"Virgil was taken by the witches!"

Evangeline gasped. Virgil was captured and she was here preparing for Mardi Gras. She put Bruce on the floor and opened her door ajar. Her family was still waiting for her. She couldn't just up and leave like she did before. They would surely follow her, and she didn't want to get them involved in any voodoo bedlam. "I can't leave."

"You're not going to try to help him?" Mimi said incredulously.

"I don't know what to do!" she cried. "I can't leave my family again, and Mardi Gras is..."

"I can't believe you," Bruce said. "I thought you were better than this, Evangeline. You know better than to leave your friends when they're in danger. I know Virgil wouldn't." Evangeline stared at the raccoon. Why didn't he talk more when they were in the Bayou? He sounded like her mother, but her mother did give her good advice. "So, what do you plan to do?"

Evangeline didn't reply. Tearing her gown, she tied them to her bedsheets and hauled her "rope" out of the window. She securely wrapped the end around her bed post and climbed out the window. Once she was down, she called up to her friends, "What are you guys waiting for? We have to save Virgil!" Her friends exchanged glances of success at each other before following the princess to help the captive frog.

Her face was filled with determination, and she wasn't going to stop until she found the little frog.

_I'm coming, Virg._

* * *

This story is almost done! It's sad, I know, but I think you guys have been waiting long enough for this story to end.

**_R&R!_**


	13. The Miracle

**~The Miracle~**

"Evangeline's been in her room for a while," Lucas said. The family had been waiting for the girl for 30 minutes. They parade would start soon without them, and as the Royal Family, they couldn't be late. "You think she's having trouble?"

"I'll go see." Tiana said. She knocked on Evangeline's door. "Babycakes, are you okay?" There was no response. "Eva-" When she opened the door, she saw no one in the room. "Oh no."

"What is it?" Naveen was immediately at her side. His eyes dilated. "She's gone!"

"What?" Lucas entered the room with them. "That girl's run off again? Where'd she go this time?"

Tiana saw the tied up bed sheets hanging from the bedpost. She pulled it up from the window and saw pieces of her daughter's gown tied at the end of the makeshift rope. _This has something to do with the conversation we had earlier_, she thought.

"We have to go after her."

"No," she said sternly.

"What?" the two brothers said in unison.

"What are you saying, Tiana?" Naveen inquired, gripping her shoulders. "Our daughter's run away again. We can't go on the float without her."

"_Yes_, we can." She removed her husband's hands and held them firmly. "Look, she obviously ran away because of someo- _something_. She probably ran away before for the same reason, and she obviously doesn't want us to follow. I know she'd want us to do the parade without her, and she'd want us to trust her."

Naveen was still uncertain, but he listened to his wife. "Alright."

* * *

Evangeline, Mimi, and Bruce continued to run down the streets of New Orleans to find their missing frog. Bruce was the last one with him, so he led the way. The young woman was beginning to lose her patience, so she asked, "Bruce, are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Yes," the raccoon assured. "The shadows grabbed him in an alley."

"Where?"

"Just a few more blocks!"

_I hope so_, she thought. The closer they were, they farther they were from the crowd on the streets, and she didn't want to run into anyone who would get in her way.

Evangeline had lost her shoes long ago and was now running at full speed. But after running for so long and hard, she was started to getting exhausted. She continued onward because she vowed she wouldn't stop until she found Virgil. Bruce and Mimi were ahead, but they had more endurance than Evangeline did. They were considering slowing down to aid her, but the determination on her face told them they should keep going. The group soon turned a corner into the alleyway where Bruce claimed Virgil had been abducted.

"They went through here?" Evangeline inquired.

"No doubt," Bruce said.

"This place gives me the heebie-jeebies!" Mimi said quivery.

"We can't stop now. Virgil's needs us." Evangeline went ahead as they trudged forward into the dark, eerie alley. They came across a rotting door with a sign. It was very illegible, but Evangeline was able to decipher it. "'Facilier Voodoo Emporium,'" she read. "This must be where they took him. I'm going in."

"Wait, _chère_," Mimi said. "I don't think we should just barge in."

"Mimi's right," Bruce spoke up. "It may be a trap-"

"-Which is why I'm going in by myself."

"What?" her friends exclaimed in unison.

"Those witches are after me! They already took Virgil because they knew I would come. If anything were to happen to you two, I wouldn't forgive myself." She had only known the firefly and the raccoon for two days, but she grew a very close bond with the two Bayou critters. "You two stay here. Don't come in after me unless I seem to be in mortal danger."

"Won't you be in mortal danger once you step foot inside?" Bruce asked.

Evangeline frowned at me. "You know, you're too smart for you're own good." He just shrugged. "I mean it. Don't come in unless I'm in real danger."

When he friends nodded in understanding, she opened the door to the emporium and walked inside, cautiously.

The atmosphere was eerie, and too quiet. She was expecting the worse; she couldn't lose her guard just yet. It was so dark that she couldn't see where she was going. Yep, something was bound to happen anytime now.

"Angel!"

She sharply turned at the sound of the voice. "Virgil?"

"Angel! Is that you?"

"Virgil!" She began to run in the direction of that familiar tenor voice. "Keep talking! I need to know where you are!"

"What? No! Get out of here!" She ignored his edict and continued to run. "They're still after you, Angel! Forget about me! I ain't worth it!"

"_Yes_, you are!" She had been running for so long. It was like the path to Virgil was foreboding. Was this another one of their tricks? "Damn," she swore as she stopped running. She would've been appalled with herself for swearing in English, but now was not the time. She needed to find Virgil, and her time was limited.

"_**Your time is up, dear**_."

The utter blackness that engulfed the room was suddenly filled with red, glowing eyes. The sound of drums erupted into a dark, spooky beat. Radiant green and purple lights flashed, showing brief images of grisly masks with the red eyes. Evangeline was petrified.

"_**Now, the time to celebrate has arrived!**_"

Suddenly, she began to get dizzy. She tried to stay awake, but this dizzy spell was too strong. Soon, the purple and green lights and the red eyes disappeared into internal blackness and she fell unconscious.

* * *

Evangeline woke up with a terrible crook in her neck.

In fact, as soon as she began to stir, she felt a caustic pain in her arms and legs, too. When she finally came to, she could see that her arms and legs were tied, thoroughly, to something rough and prickly, having her spread eagle. Her dress was worse for wear so much that it revealed her thighs. She never felt so insecure.

A groan erupted through her lips as she tried lifting her head. Her neck still felt stiff, and it took all of her might to turn it. It was still quite dark, but now she was able to see a little bit of the environment now. There were masks on the walls and dolls were sitting on a table idly. She could no longer hear Virgil's warnings howling in the air. From the looks of it, nothing good was about to happen.

"Glad to see you've finally joined us, Miss Evangeline," a voice had spoken. It sounded familiar, but Evangeline had too much vertigo to even think. "I bet you're wondering what's going on, why you're here, but namely..." Two women walked out of the shadows and revealed their identities. "... I bet you're wondering who _we_ are."

Evangeline replied dumbly, "... Not really."

The taller woman scowled at her. "Well, aren't you a bold one. You're just like your father."

"My father?" Now that got her attention. "You knew my father?"

"We _know_ your father. In fact, we know everyone and everything about your family."

The young woman scrutinized her captors. "Who are you?"

"Why should we tell you now?" the shorter woman said. Evangeline winced; the woman's voice was so shrill, it was making her dizzy, again.

"Aurorette, let's not be rude to our guest. After all, this will be the last time she'll ever have such a warm welcome like this." The taller woman moved to the other side of whatever she was tied to, out of her peripheral vision. "I'm Selene Facilier, and she is my sister, Aurorette."

_Facilier?_

That name was also mentioned in the story her parents had told her when she was younger. Dr. Facilier, or better known as the Shadow Man, was the one who turned her father into a frog and put her parents in that predicament several years ago. In the story- and in reality- he was dragged to the _Otherside_ because her mother broke his talisman. These two witches couldn't be of any relevance, could they?

"Why am I here?"

"To help us," Selene answered in a sincere tone. "You see, your _wretched_ mother sent our brother into eternal damnation years ago, and my sister and I can't bear to live without him."

"My mother..."

Selene's hand slivered onto the princess's cheek, and she grimaced at the snaky woman's touch. "You're the only one who can help us."

"But your brother- he's the- I can't..." The woman now had her looking into her eyes. They were dark, spiraling pools of wickedness, deep and perpetual. They were willing her to listen, and she couldn't ignore. Evangeline was quickly losing herself. When she realized what was happening, she began to struggle. "NO! Stop it!" No matter how hard she struggled, Evangeline couldn't escape this woman's grasp. Selene now had her nails digging into the young woman's cheeks, promising that her grip wouldn't slacken anytime soon. "You're lying! I know about your brother! He put a curse on my father years ago! It's his own fault he was sent away, not my mother's, not my father's, and certainly not mine!

"I also know that you turned Virgil into a frog. You're the reason he came into my life. And-!" It all made sense now, she thought. Why her life was so miserable, and now she knew everything. And she knew she was right. Selene's hand had recoiled from her swollen cheeks long ago. She looked as shocked as her sister. And Evangeline could see from the look on the sisters' faces that her deduction was becoming more and more accurate. "You sent that health inspector to the restaurant; you had those shadow creatures come after us; you've made my life a _living hell_ for the past two days and now..." Her mood had fallen when she remembered Virgil. She had no idea where he was now; he could be dead for all she knew. She hung her head low to conceal the tears that threatened to fall as she whispered, "... you took him away from me."

Now she was angry. Her eyes were fierce as she looked back up at the sisters who took him away. "And you know I have magical potential. You knew from the beginning, and yet you're now choosing to make my life miserable? Why? I've never done anything to either of you!" The hot tears were now falling without reluctance.

Aurorette looked away guiltily while her sister only scoffed. "You're a clever one, Evangeline; you definitely don't get that from your father," she said. "I guess I should tell you what plans we have for you before it's too late."

Selene snapped her fingers, and, simultaneously, the room was lit up by candles circumventing the room and the _Friends_ were revealed. And now that the lights were on, Evangeline could finally see where they tied her. She was inside a triangle, which was inside an even bigger circle. "What the..."

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Selene said. "It's too bad you didn't dress your best for the celebration." A bauble suddenly materialized in her hand. It looked as ugly as the masks decorating the room. The woman tied it around her neck and looked at her, satisfied. "Perfect."

Evangeline looked down. "What is this?" Then she looked at the woman again. "What celebration? Why am I tied up like this?"

"Well, you see..."

"We need your soul to get Nicolas back so we can rule New Orleans!" Aurorette suddenly burst out loud.

"What!"

"Aurorette!"

"What? You said it was about time we told her!"

The older sister sighed angrily and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I swear if you weren't my sister, I'd... never mind." Ignoring her sister, she turned back to Evangeline and started again, "Anyway, it's like my sister said. We need you so we can get our big brother back. You see, he's been very bitter being detained on the _Otherside_ for so long. But we can't get him back unless we have something of equal value to trade off."

"Me? You want my soul? Why?"

"After what your parents did to him, I'm sure he'd be very pleased to see you- and especially them- suffer greatly!"

"Plus it'll be very amusing to us!" the younger sister added. "And there's nothing you can do about it!"

"_**LET THE CELEBRATION COMMENCE!**_"

The druma Evangeline heard earlier began to play again, and the voodoo trinkets on the tables and walls began to move. The voodoo dolls steadily walked towards, and she quickly looked away as they began to move her upward.

_**ARE YOU READY?**_

No, Evangeline was _not_ ready for whatever was about to happen to her. And she was definitely wasn't ready to face whatever she was about to see.

_**ARE YOU READY?**_

The sisters began to chant with the mysteriously deep voices in a different language. They were speaking French, from what the frightened girl could tell. She didn't like the sound of it. Soon, a vibrant portal, which she assumed was the _Otherside_, summoned by the sister appeared in front of her.

Selene voice broke out of the rhythm and shouted, "_**BADINE!**_"

Suddenly, Evangeline felt a potent strain in her chest. It felt like she was getting taken out of her body. Her body was becoming limp and her spirit was draining; she could barely lift her head to glance at the witchdoctors. She didn't need to see them to know what they were doing, though. The Facilier Sisters were drawing her out of her body. She was about to enter the _Otherside_.

* * *

"NO!" Virgil watched helplessly in his new confined prison (a jar) as Evangeline's soul flowed out of her body and into the glowing abyss. Crying out to her was pointless because she wouldn't be able to hear him- whether he was in or out of the jar. He had never seen Evangeline look so helpless and weak. Her eyes were empty and her complexion was turning pale as more and more of her soul left her. Soon, she wouldn't be anything but a barren shell.

As soon as Evangeline's soul was channeled out of her body, a ghostly film flowed from the vortex and into the little contraption around her hollow body.

Silence soon engulfed the room. Everyone- including the dolls and masks in the room- were waiting.

Suddenly, Evangeline's body shook for a moment. Her head slowly rose and revealed menacing violet eyes.

"Welcome back, Nicolas," Selene said.

"Nicolas" smiled maliciously. "It's great to be back, Selene. Aurorette."

Virgil winced. Hearing a grotesque voice come out of his Angel's body was just... it just didn't sound right _at all_. Now Evangeline was gone, and this man- Nicolas, Shadow Man, whatever he was called- had taken her place.

Nicolas balled his hands into fists and freed his arms and legs from their confined state. "Ah!" he cried. He rubbed his chaffed wrists and suddenly paused. His limbs were slim and fragile. His clothes were small and torn. "What kind of body did you put me in?" he questioned his sisters. "I look like a hussy!"

"Calm down, Nick. We thought you would appreciate this."

Nicolas frowned at the girls. "And why on Earth would I appreciate being in a _woman's_ body?"

"Because that's Tiana and Naveen's daughter's body!" Aurorette said.

Nicolas's distraught face slowly grew cynical and wicked. "Tiana and Naveen: I haven't heard those names in years, ever since I was sent into Hell by that miserable woman!" A few dolls pulled a mirror in front of his new petite body and he examined himself. "Nice. I can feel the power in this new body. I feel so much more alive!" The sisters shook their heads at their brother because of his insincerity. "Now, let's get started."

"_We're_ not doing anything," Selene said.

Nicolas looked at her sternly. "_What?_"

"You work for us, Nicolas. The power in your body is controlled by _us_, and you have no say in the matter."

He smiled that wicked smile of his again. "Actually, as long I'm wearing the _hayacall_," he held up the trinket laced around his delicate neck, "I have all the power I need to take this wretched city into my own hands. And since you two kindly paid my debt," he lifted his finger and sent his sisters flying to the wall. "_I_ have the power to control the two of you." He walked up to his sisters, who were now restrained against the wall. "It's a good thing you two gave me this body, or I would actually have to work for the two of you!" He cackled hysterically.

This was not good, Virgil thought. Thanks to the two geniuses who were now stuck on a wall, this Nicolas guy was not only going to take over New Orleans, but he was also going to use Evangeline's body to accomplish this goal.

Now he drew the line.

Virgil fired up with anger as he struggled to push the jar over the edge of the table he was on. It was a very hard task due to the small space and the limited air supply, but he was eventually able knock himself over. The jar crashed onto the floor in a heap of glass.

The Shadow Man turned his head when he heard the crash. He turned his attention away from his sisters for a moment and paused when he saw Virgil. "A frog," he said, his voice was filled with even more malevolence. "You little buggers are the reason I was stuck in that hellhole for _18 years_!"

"Not my fault!" Virgil hollered.

With a growl, the Shadow Man, embodied in the princess's fair body, whistled for his shadow companions to catch the frog, but Virgil was too quick for these shadow creatures. His eyes were burning with a fiery passion as he hopped to the Shadow Man. One misstep and the shadow creatures would get him.

"You can run little frog, but my _Friends_ will easily catch you!" On cue, one of the shadows grabbed Virgil by the foot and dragged him to the evil man. "I was planning on using my powers to gain my souls and rule New Orleans, but I the disposing of you first will satiate me as well!"

"It ain't over yet!" Virgil shouted before shooting his slimy frog tongue in Nicolas's face. The man became discombobulated, which gave Virgil the chance to grab his _hayacall_ and hop out of his loose hands.

"No!" Nicolas cried. "Stop him!"

The frog was already on his way to the door when the shadows began chasing him again. He jumped on top of a table and onto the window ledge. He pushed the blinds out of the way and saw Bruce and Mimi looking inside. "You guys!" he called.

"Virgil!" they called back.

"Open the window and we'll let you out!" Bruce said.

"No! I'm not coming out." Instead of following his friend's request, he opened the window a bit so the _hayacall_ would fall out. Bruce easily caught it. "Keep this away from the shadows! I'm going to save Evangeline!"

Mimi was about to ask him why when Bruce briefly interrupted her. He simply nodded at Virgil and ran off with the little trinket around his neck.

Virgil quickly turned back to see if the shadows were still after him and was face-to-face with Evangeline's face and the Shadow Man's violet eyes. "Now I've got you."

Before Virgil could even think, Nicolas snatched his tiny body up with both hands, virtually squeezing the life out of him.

"Why are you doing this?" Virgil asked gasping even though he didn't really care.

"That wretched girl's parents ruined my life by sending me into the depths of _Hell_! Taking her body, her powers, and her true love away is just the start of my sweet revenge on that waitress and her prince lover. But thanks to you," he grabbed a knife from a nearby table, "I won't be able to fulfill my goal! Getting rid of you will just have to do for now-!"

The sly raccoon suddenly burst through the door and jumped at the Shadow Man. Jumping at the chance again, Virgil escaped from the voodoo master's hands. A shadow appeared behind him again and they went on a chasing spree once again. Once its claw reached for Virgil, it evaporated into nothingness. Mimi smiled triumphantly at the frog.

"I told you guys to run away," Virgil reprimanded them.

"We would never abandon our friends, Virgil," Mimi said. "This adventure has to have a happy ending."

Virgil nodded gratefully at the miniscule firefly. "Thanks."

The sentimental moment was suddenly ruined when another shadow appeared over them. Virgil pushed Mimi out of the way as its claw almost crushed the little firefly. Then she began to extinguish the rest of the shadows while he went to help Bruce.

Meanwhile, the raccoon clawed at the Shadow Man's face hesitantly. He was still hurting Evangeline's face, but somehow, this man was able to take over her body.

_Evangeline was foolish to go through this alone, now look what's happened to her_, Bruce thought.

When Bruce dug his claws into her face, the man cried. "You damn rodent!" He thought it was strange for such a vulgar voice to come out of her mouth. And he was not the only one who thought so.

"Bruce!" he heard Virgil cry. He looked down to see the frog hop his way over to assist him when he saw another ugly, dark creature glide its way to Virgil.

"Virgil, watch out!"

He noticed too late when the creature knocked him into a ceramic vase. As soon as he made contact, it collapsed into pieces. "VIRGIL!" his friends cried.

The Shadow Man threw Bruce off of his face while he was still distracted and grabbed the _hayacall_. "You creatures are so naïve. You're friend there was foolish to challenge me like he did, and look what happened to him. Virgil will always be a loser, and he will never live to see his happily ever after…"

"You're w-wrong!" Virgil struggled to say. He held his bleeding side as he tried to sit up from the broken vase he was lying in. "It's not over yet. I-I'm not… a loser… And I will… s-save Evangeline."

The Shadow Man scowled. "When are you animals going to-_AH!_" He shrieked and fell over as the raccoon promptly bite his ankle. As he fell back, he hit the floor with a harsh _thud_ and released the _hayacall_. "No!" Bruce was already on the other side of the room where it had landed when he struggled to get up from the floor to retrieve. As soon as he was on his feet, the raccoon broke it.

"NO!"

The Shadow Man's soul slowly emanated from Evangeline's body like her soul had done before and went back into the vortex from whence it had came. Nicolas's ghostly form struggled to stay in the world of the living but failed. The sisters were also sucked into the _Otherside_, for their brother dragged them along with her. "I'm not going down there alone!" he said as they fought to get away from him. Their efforts were frivolous; as soon as they were inside, the vortex closed, leaving behind a glow orb.

The glowing orb reduced to a stream, which flowed into Evangeline's empty shell. Bruce and Mimi reluctantly approached her as her soul continued to pervade her body once again. They waited apprehensively some kind of response, but Evangeline's body stayed still. It was then they realized that Evangeline may not ever wake up again.

* * *

Evangeline felt weightless. She couldn't feel a thing. She felt awful when her soul emerged from her body, but now she felt nothing. And that was even worse. Who knew what was happening to Virgil and her friends right now? She was afraid to know, but she didn't want to stay in this empty void forever. The ones she could rely on were Bruce, Mimi, and Virgil.

_I know you can do it Virgil…_

A sudden feeling of distress came into her mind. She knew this was not a good sign. She needed to return to the living world. She needed to return to her body. She needed to return to him.

A moan suddenly erupted from her lips. Evangeline's eyes fluttered to see a dim light (which was better than darkness), and she slowly rose from her wake.

When Evangeline was fully conscious, she suddenly felt worse than before. Her body ached more; her face had a more astringent pain, and her ankle was throbbing. She didn't want to move, yet she had to. She had to know what happened before she was taken away.

When her sight finally adjusted, she saw her woodland friends smiling at her, relieved. "What happened, you guys?" she asked. Her throat was also stinging.

"The Shadow Man took over your body!" Mimi cried.

"And then Virgil fought back," Bruce said.

"But we helped!" Mimi added.

"What happened to the Faciliers?" Evangeline inquired.

"They're gone. And they're never coming back anytime soon," Bruce declared.

Evangeline smiled at her friendly, fondly. "Thank you. I knew I could count on you guys." She hugged her friends. Then she released them and began to search for the little frog. "Where's Virgil?" Her friends exchanged glances. "Where. Is. Virgil?" she repeated.

They continued to look at each other until Bruce finally answered, "He's… over there."

Evangeline looked anxiously at the corner of the room and saw a shattered vase. At first, she saw nothing, but then she saw a limp, green leg dangling over the broken urn. "Virgil!"

Her body ached as she ran over to the unconscious frog. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no…" She faltered as soon as she approached him. His body was cut up and his side had a terrible gash in it, blood slowly oozed out and into the vase. She faltered to pick him up fearing that she might make his condition worse.

"Virgil," she quietly called him. He remained still. His body was freezing against her tender, bruised skin. "Virgil, please wake up."

A soft moan came from his lips and his eyes opened to slits. "… A-Angel…?"

"Virgil! Please, stay with me!"

"Angel… I just wanted… to say…"

"No, don't start with me! You're not dying on me!"

"I… love you…"

A tear escaped from the corner of her eye as he slowly spoke those precious words. "I-I love you too, Virgil."

He smiled. "Good… I'm glad…"

And with one last breath, he was gone.

"Virgil?" No reply came from him. "No, Virgil, wake up." Still nothing. "No, you can't go. I love you. You have to stay. You have to come with me. You have to meet my parents, and they'll could give you a job, and you'll introduce me to your friend Maurice, and you can live with us- wouldn't that be swell? We'll one happy family, and then we'll get married, and we'll live a life together…" A sudden realization comes to mind, which made Evangeline guilty. "And all I had to do… was kiss you."

She didn't know the time, but she knew it wasn't midnight yet. "Since I couldn't save you, I at least owe you this."

She cautiously put her lips against his and pulled away slowly. She looked at the little frog's body anxiously, but nothing happened. "I'm too late," she said tearfully. "I'm sorry Virgil."

Suddenly, a light began to surround the Virgil, lifting him into the air out of Evangeline's arm. She had no idea what was going on, but she was a little afraid. The light also bordered her as well. Her body was hovering over the ground next to Virgil's, her skin felt tingly, and her jaded clothes were shining.

As she continued to suspend in the air, she suddenly began to feel a million times better. The pain in her body vanished and she felt like new. And before she knew it, she was on the ground again. Her dress was brand new also, having a lily-like bodice and pettiskirt. Her waist was tied with a butterfly bow and to finish the set, her hair was in a bun with a crown adorning her head. It was truly magical.

At her peripheral, she could still see a bit of the light. She looked to see where he was lying. She expected to see his frog form, but instead, she saw a human body. She was reluctant to see if it really was Virgil or some imposter, but she went. Once she was close enough, she marveled the handsome devil that was now before her. He was wearing a suit that was green. She couldn't believe this man before her was her true love. It was a miracle.

"Virgil?" With no response, she patted his cheek a bit. "Virgil, are you okay?" She lit up when she received a groan.

"A-Angel…?" He groaned even more as he tried to sit up. Evangeline gawked at him as he looked at her. "Whoa, Angel. You clean up nicely." She only nodded. He smirked at him. "Like what you see?"

"Very." She lunged at him for a sweet kiss. "It worked! I can't believe it worked! You're alive!" She murmured to him with each kiss she gave him.

Virgil pulled away again and hugged her. "Thank you." He held her cheek, wiping away the tears that gradually fell. "I mean it, Angel. I love you."

Evangeline eyes filled with tears once again. "I love you, too."

They both kissed each other once again.

Then they suddenly remembered they weren't alone. The couple pulled away from each other to see that Bruce and Mimi had been watching them the whole time.

Bruce coughed. "My I suggest that we return to the Mardi Gras parade?"

"Good plan, Bruce," Virgil said. He held out his arm to Evangeline. "Your Majesty, may I escort you to the parade?"

Evangeline curtsied. "I would be honored, Virg." Then she took his arm and the two walked back to the parade. The princess leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I finally got my wish," Virgil said as they walked back.

"What would that be?" she asked.

"I got my girl _and_ a suit to match."

Evangeline laughed as he dipped in for another kiss as they enjoyed the rest of the Mardi Gras night.

* * *

**I'm so, so, so, so, so, sorry I didn't update. As you can see, this chapter was extremely long. I want the last chapter to be special.**

**Next is the epilogue.**

_**R&R!**_


	14. The End

**~Happily Ever After…~**

_**One Month Later…**_

No, the princess and her true love did not marry.

No, they weren't engaged either.

But they did live happily ever after.

When Evangeline returned to the Mardi Gras parade, she introduced Virgil to her parents, who were very happy for their daughter (but Naveen still held his suspicions about him). It explained why she would run away, and Tiana was happy her daughter found someone she cared for so dearly, she would run to their aid. When she first met Virgil, he seemed like a nice young man with a lot of promise. Evangeline's little brother Ray Ray also seemed to like him. Naveen was the only one who wouldn't suffice. When Evangeline asked if he could stay with them, Naveen refused profusely. Virgil decided then that he was going to face her father on his own and tell him the truth if he ever wanted his trust. And after an argument with his wife, Naveen agreed to have a rational conversation with the boy. Virgil told him everything that happened to him and Evangeline the past few days, which changed the Maldonian's opinion drastically. So Virgil was able to live in their apartment, in a separate room of course.

Evangeline said he was lucky he didn't get an earful from her uncle Lucas, who went back to Maldonian after the Mardi Gras parade.

As for their animal friends, they decided to go their separate ways. Mimi went back to her family in the Bayou, but not before she said goodbye to the whole family, including Tiana and Naveen, who were happy to see one of Ray's relatives again. Bruce, on the other hand, decided he would stay in the city with Evangeline (to Virgil displeasure). When Virgil told Naveen what really happened, he told Tiana, so she didn't mind if the raccoon joined their growing family. Bruce was able to stay after visiting the vet (who was reluctant to examine a wild animal), however, he wasn't allowed in the restaurant because he was a wild animal, which was ironic because of his tame mannerisms.

Speaking of the restaurant,_ Tiana's Palace _was also doing great. The health inspector who visited the restaurant a few days ago never showed up, so Naveen called the health department. It turned out that the health inspector he described was never employed there. They apologized for the misunderstanding and sent a real employee to check out their establishment. That day, the family made sure that everything was in tip top shape; they passed with flying colors, thanks to Virgil. He turned out to be a great waiter and an even greater entertainer. He could dance and likewise sing, just as Evangeline thought, so on regular nights, Virgil was allowed to perform with Naveen and the band on stage. Evangeline couldn't have been prouder of him.

Today was no different from the regular days in _Tiana's Palace_.

The customers kept piling up because of their delectable food and the band was very diverting. Everything was working out and everybody was having a good time. But there were two people missing out on the fun.

"Naveen," Tiana called her husband. "Have you seen Evangeline? I thought I just saw her with Lottie and Lydia earlier."

"Now that you mention it, Virgil suddenly disappeared a moment ago," Naveen said. "You don't think…?"

Tiana lightly slapped her husband's arm. "I'm sure they wouldn't do anything like that. They're responsible adults. Now," she took her husband's hand and led him to the dance floor, "let's dance." Tiana knew Virgil was planning something special for Evangeline, and she didn't want Naveen to intervene with his plans; he had become very overprotective of their princess ever since the boy started living with them. She liked the effort Virgil made to make her daughter happy.

Evangeline was in for a surprise tonight.

* * *

The missing couple didn't wander far from the restaurant. Virgil continued to trudge forward clasping Evangeline's hand tightly. "Where are you taking me Virg?" she asked. "Daddy will kill you when he finds out you kidnapped me."

He knew she was joking, but he still grimaced at the thought. "I sure hope not."

"_Virgil_."

"Just wait and see. We're almost there." He abruptly stopped, almost causing her to bump into him. He swiftly turned around and said, "Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Close your eyes," he repeated.

"Virgil, this is ridi-"

"Just do it. Trust me." Evangeline sighed hopelessly and shut her eyes. Virgil waved his hand in front of her face to make sure they were completely shut. When he was sure she couldn't see anything, he took her hand again and continued onward.

As she was led blindly to this secret location, Evangeline wondered what kind of place Virgil was taking her to. It must've been someplace special if he wanted to lead her there with veiled eyes. She became more curious when their path inclined upward. "Virgil, where-?"

"We're almost there."

"You said that five minutes ago," she pouted.

"Who knew the princess could be so impatient?"

"_Virgil_-"

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

Evangeline slowly opened her eyes to see a dazzling spectacle. The city was glowing with many lights and jazz music played loud even for them to hear. From where she stood, Tiana's Palace stood out the most with its catchy music and brilliant display of lights. "Oh Virgil…"

"Surprised?"

"Yes, but…" She turned to see her boyfriend now holding a rose and a bottle of champagne beside a furnished table with a lit candle. "What is this? Where exactly are we?"

"We're on top of a steamboat," he said shyly. "I wanted to make up for the disaster I caused on your birthday, you know, the first night we met. I'm sorry I'm a month late."

Evangeline was close to tears. "Oh Virg… thank you." She hugged him tightly. Virgil suddenly pulled away from their hug and dipped her for swooning kiss. When he pulled back, her hazel eyes stared at him stupefied and her knees buckled. "_Achidanza…_"

He pulled her up and put the rose in her hair. He set the bottle of champagne on the table and took her into his arms. She returned the embrace. "I guess this is the part when we live happily ever after, yes?"

"It's not the end yet," Virgil said. "It's never the end when I'm with you." The princess smiled up at him and a tear escaped the corner of her eye. Her prince held out his hand and she complied.

They were soon engulfed in a slow dance. The two Evening Stars that began their story shone over them like a spotlight and slowly brought their story to a very happy end…

**~The End~**

* * *

_**R&R!**_


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